Seraphina (in blue) with her father Koh (left), mother, Tan ( in the back), and sisters, Mykaela Renee Koh Rui En, 16 (right), and Aurora Evangeline Koh Qi En, 14 (second from left). — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
Acceptance can make their life less challenging, parents say
PARENTS of autistic children hope the public will take the time to learn and get to know kids with the condition.
Although there has been an improvement in terms of understanding and acceptance of children with autistic spectrum disorder, the parents feel that there is still room for improvement.
Adrian Christopher Koh Tze Hong, 44, said he still received judgemental stares from strangers when his nine-year-old autistic daughter behaved in ways that did not fit the norm.
“Most of the time, people will only understand the condition when they have family members or relatives with the condition. Only then would they open their eyes to the reality of the condition.
“My wife and I still get stares from the public when we bring our daughter out sometimes. At this point, we are already immune to it.
“We hope the public will try to learn more about autistic children so that they can better understand and tolerate them,” he said when met during the Calvary Victory Centre’s (CVC) 26th anniversary fundraising dinner held at a restaurant in Johor Baru.
He said a better understanding of the condition would also help to make life less challenging for his daughter Seraphina Angelica Koh Yue En, and other children in the spectrum.
“At least when they grow up, they can be in a world that is more accepting of their condition,” said the aircraft engineer.
He said he and his wife, Melissa Tan Hwi Choo, 43, found out about their daughter’s condition when she was in nursery school five years ago.
Tausif (centre) with Mahmud (right) and sister Tarannum Hussain, 16.
“She was four years old when we found out. Some of her teachers, including one who was involved in taking care of autistic kids, noticed something different about her and told us about it.
“We then decided to send her to another preschool better suited for her condition. It took a few months for us to finally find one.
“Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic hit a few months later, so she studied from home for about two years. When the pandemic was over, she started learning at CVC,” he said.
Koh said his family was accepting of her condition.
“She is the youngest of four siblings. A few years before she was born, we had our third child, who had cerebral palsy.
“So, by the time we found out that she was autistic, we had already gone through a similar experience for a more serious condition with our son,” he said, adding that his son, Aurelius Kristofferson Koh Ming En, passed away two years ago when he was seven years old.
Mahmud Hussin, 50, whose 18-year-old son Tausif Hussin attends the CVC, hoped to see more training centres made available for children with special needs.
“It is not easy to find a place that fits the needs of our children. It took me almost a year to get one that was suitable for my son.
“I really think there should be more effort put into making such centres more accessible for parents, as currently, their numbers are quite small,” said Mahmud, adding that his son had been attending CVC for the past 10 years.
Lee says there are currently about 60 children and adults with autism at the centre.
He hoped companies would be more inclusive and give job or training opportunities to special needs individuals.
“My son once told me that he has nothing to do. He sees others around him busy with life, but he is not able to experience the same thing.
“As a father, I am sad that there are not many opportunities for my son. I believe there should be more efforts by companies to give them a chance to work on things that fit their capability.
“At least a part-time job or just some training would be good. This will not only help to develop their skills, but also give them something to do with their time,” he said.
CVC principal Lily Lee said there were currently about 60 children and adults with autism, between three and 33 years old, at the centre.
“Apart from programmes for autistic children, we also have programmes that cater to those 18 and above, such as vocational training classes.
“We had over 100 individuals with autism attending the centre before the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
“The number dropped to 30 when we first reopened after the pandemic, and now, it has doubled,” added Lee.
CVC is a non-profit organisation that caters specifically to and offers special education programmes for people with autism spectrum disorder.
