The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.108)

nspiration By Koh Yean Ping Translated by Tai Ren Ying Photograph by Khor Kok Chin H ao Zhe came into my life in 1996. At 1.5 years old, he was only interested in spinning objects. He did not interact with people, nor did he have any language skills. Frustrated by his inability to express himself, he became irritable. His clumsiness compounded his frustrations. When he was young, there were countless nights when he would have tantrums till late at night, refusing to sleep. Within six months of his birth, I suffered from sleeping disorder and my weight dropped to 45 kg. Then, my husband got me to sleep in the study room and he took care of Hao Zhe alone. In search of help At age 2, the doctor diagnosed Hao Zhe with Autism. He was hyperactive, avoided eye My Child from Mars contact, could not focus, had no language skills and would hurt himself. He would hit the floor with his head, or crash into the living room’s glass door with his tiny body. I lost my patience in educating him. From gentle advice, I gradually raised my voice and ended up with me shouting at him and hitting the table, totally losing control of my emotions. We knew then that we needed professional help. In 1998, we visited all autism specialists in Kuala Lumpur and attended support groups for parents with autistic kids to seek help. Hence, we began the journey of Hao Zhe’s autism treatment, which included speech therapy, sensory integration, occupational therapy, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Sara’s Diet. At age 2.5, Hao Zhe, who loved drinking My child, Tan Hao Zhe is 23 years old. He seems to be a child from Mars because he shows no interest in anything on Earth. TZU CHI 108 57