5 Hong Kong Families, 5 Children, and 5 Unique ASD Experiences and Struggles
Parents of children with ASD score higher on levels of stress than other groups of parents. The daily challenges of caring for the child are endless and effect all aspects of the child’s care as well as the parent’s mental health and ability to manage the needs of the child and family.
In the process of interviewing 40 families in Hong Kong, we see the tremendous impact of ASD on each family. From the emotional stress of the initial diagnosis, to the daily stress of dealing with the child’s behavior problems, and the financial stress of finding treatment options; autism affects families in many ways.
Every Child with Autism is Different.
Autism is a spectrum, which means that its symptoms range from mild and few to severe and many. One person with autism might have several mild symptoms in a set of areas, while another might have a different set of symptoms and severity.
Children with ASD may present problem behaviors in many forms, including tantrums, difficulties in toileting, eating problem, not following instructions and more. These behaviors can be challenging and upsetting for many parents and can prevent their children from reaching their full potential.
The 5 families we share with you today have their unique stories and challenges. The 5 families all have a 2-years old child diagnosed with ASD, yet the challenges that the 5 families are facing with their child are totally different. Nevertheless, they all share a common situation, which is finding themselves struggling to manage the difficult behavior of their young child and are in need of professional help and support.
Let us introduce the 5 families to you.
Philus is a talkative 2 years and 7 months old boy. He was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 2. Philus has many verbal language skills, but he has great difficulty following instructions and responding to his parents and teachers. His mother reported that she has had great challenges bringing him out in the community as he gets easily distracted and attracted by many things. A 5-minute walk often takes 30-minutes to walk with Philus.
Parent Sharing – The concerns of their child
The programs AP has worked on with Philus during the 3 days training:
Program#1 – Walking in the Community
Program#2 – Waiting
Program#3 – Responding
Program#4 – Following Instructions in Class
Disclosure Statement of Philus’ parents
Philus’ parents were invited to present their perspective as an educational opportunity for addressing the awareness of ASD and importance of early-intervention. Philus is a past client of Autism Partnership Hong Kong.
Ho Ho is now 2 years and 4 months old. He was diagnosed with ASD at age 2. Ho Ho is an extreme picky eater and refuses to eat a variety of food. His mum expresses concerns regarding his mealtime behavior problems, and it is especially challenging to get him to eat a healthy range of food. Ho Ho’s mother also saw skill regression in Ho Ho at the age of 2. Ho Ho is non-verbal and can make limited sounds.
Parent Sharing – The concerns of their child
The programs AP has worked on with Ho Ho during the 5 days training:
Disclosure Statement of Ho Ho’s parents
Ho Ho’s mom was invited to present her perspective as an educational opportunity for addressing the awareness of ASD and importance of early-intervention. Ho Ho is a past client of Autism Partnership Hong Kong.
Long Long is now 2 years and 11 months. He was diagnosed with ASD at 2 years old. His parents reported that Long Long has poor eye contact, has difficulties in following instructions and is unable to sustain attention and remain focused. His teachers also reported that Long Long cannot focus in class, often get distracted and runs away from his seat. His parents are concerned that Long Long will not be able to learn effectively at school.
Parent Sharing – The concerns of their child
The programs AP has worked on with Long Long during the 5 days training:
Matteo is now 5 years and 2 months old. When Matteo was 7 months old, his mother felt that he was a little different. Mom reported that Matteo has exhibited a variety of behavioural problems while growing up. Currently, mom’s major concerns are Matteo‘s inability to wait, sit down, sustain attention and remain focused in class. Seeing the huge developmental gap in language and social skills between Matteo and his peers made mom even more worried about Matteo’s future.
Parent Sharing – The concerns of their child
Program#1 – Attention
Program#2 – Language
Around the age of two, Lucas’ parents noticed that Lucas’ language development was slower compared to his peers, and he seldom communicated or interacted with others. At first, they thought Lucas was simply developmental delayed, however, as he grew older, various severe behavioural problems started to emerge. He was then diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD) at the age of 2 years and 7 months.
Throughout Lucas’ upbringing, Lucas’s parents have encountered many challenges in dealing with his behaviour and learning problems and were unable to provide him with necessary treatment support. They later decided to seek professional support from Autism Partnership (AP).
Parent Sharing – Lucas’s Dad: Seeking professional support early can make a big difference for the child
Addressing Aggressive and Not-Following-Instructions Behaviours of 2 Years Old Lucas
Program#1 – Following Instructions
Program#2 – Waiting
Parent Training
Lucas’ Parent Sharing: We Can Now Apply Effective Strategies to Address my Son’s Everyday Behaviour Problems.
Disclosure Statement of Lucas’s parents
Lucas’s parents were invited to present their perspective as an educational opportunity for addressing the awareness of ASD and importance of early-intervention. Lucas is a past client of Autism Partnership Hong Kong.
If you are interested to be part of the project, apply the APM Educational Project via below:
In this project, the qualified and selected children will be offered an intensive APM program (from 2 to 5 days) with our clinical team in Hong Kong. During the intensive program, our clinical team will tackle one of the most challenging problems that parents have identified in their child (e.g. not wearing face mask, unable to wait, eating problems, etc).
The Case Sharing of APM Educational Project in 2020
APM Educational Project – Parent Training in 2020
Please share to let more people learn about ASD and ABA therapy:
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AP holds the belief that with quality Autism Partnership Method (APM) treatment, individuals with autism should reach their fullest potential and achieve the greatest degree of independence and highest quality of life possible.
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