雙語故事：貓咪醫生和自閉癥女孩

雙語故事：貓咪醫生和自閉癥女孩

　　摘要：世界對于艾里斯·葛瑞絲來說一直都是孤獨的。這個患有自閉癥的5歲小女孩，不太說話、跟其他孩子呆在一起會焦慮不安、經常會陷入對周圍世界的恐懼之中。

　　For Iris Grace Halmshaw, the world was a lonely place.

　　The autistic five-year-old struggles to speak, is unnerved by other children and is frequently thrown into panic by the world around her.

　　世界對于艾里斯·葛瑞絲來說一直都是孤獨的。

　　這個患有自閉癥的5歲小女孩，不太說話、跟其他孩子呆在一起會焦慮不安、經常會陷入對周圍世界的恐懼之中。

　　She fills her days with painting, and is so talented that her works sell for as much as £1,500.

　　她每天畫畫度日，令人驚嘆的是她在畫畫上很有天賦，畫作能賣到高達1500英鎊。

　　But nothing could quite relieve her isolation. Until, that is, a cat called Thula came along.

　　盡管如此，還是沒有任何東西可以緩解她的孤獨。直到一只叫做蘇拉的貓咪的出現。

　　The pair are now inseparable – and Iris's parents credit the gentle Maine Coon with helping their little girl become more tactile and affectionate, as well as influencing her already much-acclaimed works of art.

　　現在艾里斯和蘇拉幾乎形影不離，艾里斯的父母相信這只溫順的緬因貓能夠幫助他們的女兒加強對這個世界的認知和感觸，同時也能夠影響女兒已經備受好評的畫作。

　　The home-educated youngster has been producing astonishing Monet-style landscapes since she was three, when mother Arabella Carter-Johnson devised art sessions to help her with her daughter's concentration and speech.

　　艾里斯是在家中接受教育的，3歲的時候，她的媽媽阿拉貝拉為了提高女兒的注意力和語言能力，設計了一些藝術課程，也就是從那時候艾里斯開始創作具有莫奈風格的、令人驚奇的畫作的。

　　But since Thula arrived, Miss Carter-Johnson and her husband Peter-Jon Halmshaw say they have noticed Iris adding brush strokes which resemble a cat's eyes or nose.

　　但自從蘇拉到來以后，阿拉貝拉和丈夫皮特注意到艾里斯的作品里開始出現類似貓眼睛或貓鼻子的形象了。

　　Initially, they thought it was just a coincidence, but now believe Iris is expressing her love for Thula through her painting.

　　起初，他們以為只是巧合，但是現在他們確信艾里斯是通過她的作品來表達她對蘇拉的愛。

　　'When Iris is painting, Thula is told by her to 'sit cat' if she jumps up on to the table,' said Miss Carter-Johnson. 'She stays there watching Iris with great interest, occasionally wanting to play with the brushes, but mostly just patiently watching.'

　　“當艾里斯畫畫的時候，她會對跳上桌子的蘇拉說‘坐下，貓咪’。”阿拉貝拉說，“然后蘇拉就會呆在那里饒有興趣地看著艾里斯畫畫，偶爾也會想要玩玩畫筆，但大多數情況下都是耐心地看著。”

　　And the pair's bond doesn't end there. Thula is at Iris's side for every part of her life, right down to her bathtimes, when she will even share a shampoo and soak. When the family go out in the car, Thula will sit on Iris's lap, and she is more than happy to don her red harness and go for a walk on her lead.

　　除了畫畫的時候在一起，蘇拉幾乎存在于艾里斯生活中的每一個部分：艾里斯洗澡的時候，蘇拉也在，她倆甚至會一起泡澡、共用洗發水;全家人開車外出的時候，蘇拉就會坐在艾里斯的腿上，她還很喜歡套上紅色的繩套，領著艾里斯一起散步。

　　The pair's closeness is having an effect on Iris's relationships with others, too, and her parents find it easier to encourage her to speak when Thula is around.

　　她們之間的親密也對艾里斯同他人的關系產生了影響，艾里斯的父母發現有蘇拉在身邊的時候，艾里斯更容易接受鼓勵而張口說話。

　　After researching the benefits of animal therapy for autistic children the couple had tried introducing Iris to horses, dogs and even other cats with no success – but everything fell into place when Thula came to live with the family in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, in February. Within weeks, the kitten was helping to soothe the little girl in times of stress.

　　艾里斯的父母是在了解了動物療法對治療自閉癥兒童的優勢之后，試著向艾里斯介紹一些動物，如小馬、小狗，也有其他一些小貓，但都沒有成功，直到2月份蘇拉出現在這個位于蘭開斯特郡的家庭里。僅僅幾周的時間，這只小貓就使艾里斯的壓力得到了緩解。

　　Miss Carter-Johnson, 33, said: 'Ever since we came home with this precious, magical kitten, she has been casting a spell over Iris. It was as if they were old friends from the day they met.

　　今年33歲的阿拉貝拉說：“自從我們把這只珍貴的、神奇的小貓帶回家后，它就像對艾里斯施了魔法一般，她倆從見面起就像認識了很多年的老朋友那樣親密。”

　　'Thanks to Thula, new doorways to communication and emotions are opening and Iris is happier than ever before.'

　　“很感謝蘇拉，它使艾里斯找到了新的交流和表達感情的方式，讓艾里斯比以往任何時候都快樂。”