Awareness

Before the month ends, I feel like I should do my part to help spread awareness on autism.

Before the boy was diagnosed to have autism symptoms, I had very little awareness about the condition. I did not even completely understand the symptoms and looking back, I wish all parents are aware of what to look out for while it is still early.

My son was a late talker. While my friends were beaming with witty quotes from their kids, I had nothing to tell of. I found it a bit strange because as early as when he was 5 months old, my son was already babbling and imitating some words. Then at some point, it got stuck there. I was of course worried and when I asked around,  they said I should give my son some time to 'bloom' and 'wait for things to happen.'

He started calling us mama and papa when he was around 2 years old. He started saying 'yes' and 'no' around that time as well. But as for the endless talking and silly remarks that we were waiting for, it hardly came. But there were times when he would keep us in awe because he would do or say something interesting. I remember the time when he looked at the night sky after our storytime and said, "Good night, aliens."

He has been in school since he was 2 years and 6 months. We first enrolled him in play school so that he will be able to socialise with other children and learn from them. We did not get any major 'complaint' from the playschool teacher at that time.

When he was around 3 years and 6 months, we had a parent-teacher conference with his teacher and it is then that she told us she is concerned about my son's lack of eye contact and his distraction from class.

I felt very offended. Here is a third person who was telling me that there might be something wrong with my son and that I should have him checked by a specialist. I was in tears and my husband and I discussed whether we should have him assessed or not. In the end, we decided it was best to have him seen by the experts. The waiting time for a consultation takes a few months. We were only able to see the doctor on 24 June, around a week after his 4th birthday.

After that appointment, I wanted to cry all day but I thought I should do so many things to help my son. I read up a lot of articles on Google, I borrowed books from the library, I asked around, I scheduled for therapies that would be helpful for him, I worked double time on being his mother and his home-therapist. Life has never been the same for us.

I look back to that day when his teacher first told us that she suspected something was not right. As much as that experience was not pleasant, it was also the one that signaled us to get help for him.

The boy has improved much since a year ago. His echolalia has decreased significantly and he is able to express himself in simple language. He is able to ask questions and when we ask him something, he is able to give short yet appropriate answers. There's still a lot of catching up to do in terms of social skills, but hopefully, we can get there.

Before I go, I would also like to recommend some links for parents which they can refer to in case they want to check if their child is manifesting autistic behaviour:
M-Chat (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) - https://m-chat.org/index.php
Autism Resource Centre, Singapore - http://www.autism.org.sg/main/index.php
First Signs - https://www.firstsigns.org/
Autism Symptoms - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/ds00348/dsection=symptoms

It's not easy to face our problems. But who else will face these, if not us?