Khai was silent. There was nothing physically wrong with the
eleven-year-old Taiping boy -- he was what doctors call ___1___
'elective mute' : a person who will not speak in certain
circumstances. Although he talked ___2___
at home, he refused to speak at school.
Unable to explain Khai's problem, his teachers recommended
music ___3___ a tool to help
him. ___4___
the school counselor Diane met Khai, she presented him with a
range of instruments. Khai liked the drum ___5___
he followed Diane's drum beat. Later Khai strummed a guitar and
he started whispering and tapping to the music. After a year of
counseling sessions, Khai was speaking at school. He even ___6___
in a school play.
Now at seventeen, he ___7___
like a normal teenager. "The music therapy encouraged Khai to
speak at school," Diane commented. |