World Autism Awareness Day 2/4: I have turned out… a voice

Moving house, changing jobs so that children can “study Miss Mai”

Baby HD (Tam Hiep Ward, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai) is only five years old, but has “enrolled” in three kindergartens – kindergartens and two special education schools. Every time they choose a new school, Ms. KD and her husband are full of hope for the transformation of their son HD, but soon fall into despair because he still can’t pronounce.
Not having time to rejoice because her child seems to be in tune with the group game, she was heartbroken when she saw her son playing alone in the corner of the classroom. She and her husband had to let their children drop out of school and then they didn’t know what to do next, even more confused and confused when the child was three years old, then four years old still couldn’t say a word.

Once, taking her child to the Children’s Hospital 1 (HCMC), Ms. KD was introduced to an experienced person in this field: pediatric speech therapist Nguyen Thi Mai – Director of the Center for Developmental Support. inclusive education for children with autism Hoang Duc (Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai). Another time, she attended a charity examination for children with developmental delays, and was consulted again: “Please find Ms. Mai at Hoang Duc Center. She will help you, help the baby.”

Baby HD and the joy of being led to school by her mother every day – Photo: Tuan Anh

At that time, Ms. KD’s family was settling down in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Mai’s school in a remote area of ​​Bien Hoa is considered to be missed, especially when the COVID-19 epidemic spreads.

“My child has a mild temperament, always cheerful and smiling. If you’re slow to speak, mom just… wait, I’ll say it sooner or later” – she and her husband thought so and delayed until the child was four years old, if she wanted to go to the bathroom, she still had to gurgle in her throat and then pull her parents’ hand for help. driving away. She realized that the slower she spoke, the less she played with anyone but her parents.

They decided to rearrange their lives, going back to her parents’ house in Bien Hoa. She travels dozens of kilometers every day to work in Thu Duc City, and he works as far as District 7 (HCMC), so she has to quit her job, which is favorable.

Coming to Hoang Duc Center, with the basic expression of no language, limited social interaction… HD baby was identified as “autistic spectrum disorder”, needs speech therapy support, increased social interaction festival. This is beyond the thinking of Ms. KD and her husband because “the baby is just slow to speak”. Give up everything, devote all your energy to your children, so you are more impatient for the results. Understanding this, the teachers have prepared psychologically for them to accept starting a long journey of supporting their children with the companionship of their teachers.

In order not to surprise the child, the first week, KD only sent her to study for two hours in the afternoon. And the miracle came after a month of returning to the new school: The baby called his mother to call his father, and he and his sister burst into tears with joy.

“Once when he was sick, waiting for the doctor’s turn to examine him, HD baby nestled in his mother’s lap and whispered: “Mom! Mommy! I’m scared!”. It doesn’t hurt to hear anything, but for a long time the baby “locked” the voice inside. Ms. KD looked at her son lovingly, constantly reminiscing about the moments of bursting with joy when swallowing each child’s silly words.

The whole family sings together

From not being able to concentrate for five minutes, HD gradually learned to study the whole session. From where she likes to come and get, now she knows how to fold her arms to ask her or beg to borrow a friend. She taught to say the whole sentence “give me a car” instead of the child just raising his hand to ask for or saying the single word “car”.

Children can talk, only adults discover that they have long known to read, but do not understand the meaning. Although he was not taught words by anyone, he copied images of words and saved them in his brain in a special way. Going to the supermarket, entering the parking lot, walking on the street, the baby looks at the signs and reads ro ro. Knowing that her baby likes cars, KD bought books with many pictures, including cars, and read books with her children to supplement their vocabulary and learn the meaning of words.

Baby’s memory is very good. On the way to the supermarket, the old school had to cross many bridges, take many turns, but every time the mother took a strange turn, the baby immediately recognized it, immediately pointed her finger, leaned over, used every body language to remind her mother, Absolutely no sound came out. Now the baby nudges her mother, softly saying: “Mom! Go this way!”. The baby’s pronunciation is getting clearer day by day. Before, only my mother understood, now the whole family understands.

When she was absent from school because of the COVID-19 epidemic, seeing that she was staying at home, KD was impatient, so she asked her to send her homework. She called a video call to teach her how to straighten her mouth and lips, and then she practiced it again. With “turtles, elephants, ticks, cows, baby, rain, Ms. Mai…”, she patiently practiced tuning R, V, B, M… for her children during the time of limiting going out and taking maternity leave to give birth to a baby boy. Monday. When she went back to work and was trained by Ms. Mai from afar, the three children continued to tutor their children. She and her husband went online to connect with parents of children with autism to exchange experiences.

In the early days of having you, Hai HD expressed fear and did not dare to approach. Now, when I am one year old, I can walk, run, and speak well, so the two brothers make their own jigsaw puzzles, play cars, and play hide and seek together in the house. Sometimes when parents come home from work, listening to the chirping of the two brothers reading poetry, singing children’s songs, the nursery rhyme “Chi chi chi leng …”, the whole family sings in harmony.

HD doesn’t know how to tell stories on her own in class (have to wait for her mother to ask, then tell her suggestions) but knows how to judge bad situations when the baby goes up the stairs and steps down the steps. Baby called “em!” then rushed over, spread his mighty arms, stopped. I obeyed, returned to a safe place, and Hai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, hugging and kissing me.

According to www.phunuonline.com.vn