Enrique's Mum Sharing

My son, Enrique, is 6 years old now. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by a clinical psychologist. But now, he is enjoying his kindergarten years like other normal children. He was admitted to ICU right after birth due to neonatal cerebral hypoxia. Although the doctor assured us that his anatomy and physiology is normal, we found that he was exceptionally “active” as a baby (i.e. waving his limbs actively for no reason). Past 10 months old, he still had no eye contact with people and he appeared withdrawn. Fortunately, he showed interest in educational video clips and was able to sing along (ABC song) at age 1. But he had difficulty in understanding instructions and appeared very active, i.e. didn’t walk but ran instead, fell down frequently, etc.

We eagerly looked for professional help. But it was difficult for us to access help in Jerantut and I had to search the internet for more information. I’d come across information on psychological intervention for children and that it was good to assess a child at about the age of 3. While browsing for information, I suspected that my child might have ADHD symptoms. It was very disturbing for me as a parent. At the age of 3, I brought Enrique for psychological and developmental assessment. The results showed that my child indeed has ADHD symptoms and his cognitive development is not on par with children of his age. Although he has deficit in speech and social ability, he didn’t meet the diagnostic criteria of autism. The psychologist assured us of a good prognosis for Enrique as he was 3 years old, a good time for early intervention. She suggested that Enrique go for speech therapy but we didn’t start therapy immediately as it’s hard to find such therapy in Jerantut.

I found out about A ZonEducare Advisory and the child psychologist, Ms. Lee Li Li, in a radio station’s website in which they shared about health care information. I contacted A Zon without hesitation and got to know more about their intervention program. After reading Enrique’s assessment report, we started to enroll him in the intervention program. I felt that I’d found the right place as Enrique enjoyed very much, the intervention integrated play and physical activities. In addition, they have professional psychologist and teachers to manage the case. Hence, I decided to travel to and fro between Jerantut and Selangor for his intervention program. During the first 2 months of intervention, Enrique couldn’t really perform and he was very clingy to me. And we couldn’t take leave too frequently to send him for intervention. Thus, we stopped the program for about 2 months.

We continued the program in A Zon two months later. Surprisingly, Enrique didn’t refuse to go for class and he didn’t need my companion in class anymore. In addition, I’ve found him a good kindergarten where its principal and teachers are patient enough to handle him. With cooperation and effort from A Zon, his kindergarten and parents, Enrique showed improvement gradually. One of the tremendous improvements is his self-control; he is now less active and able to sit still to complete his homework. In addition, his cognitive ability has improved as he understands and is able to follow instructions. He knows about consequences of his behavior (i.e. to avoid punishment, he would refrain himself from doing inappropriate behavior). His speech and communication has also improved (i.e. no more “parrot talk” and able to maintain conversations with others). Family and friends are surprised and happy for Enrique over his improvement. Those who do not really know him have never thought that he is a child with ADHD. I’m really thankful for the help from A Zon and his kindergarten. Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, siblings and family members for their care and support along the journey.

Words for other parents...

Parents have to be alert in observing their child’s progress and difficulty. If problems are identified earlier, the sooner parents can seek for professional help and guidance. The process of seeking professional help could be upsetting as it’s challenging for parents to accept their child’s difficulties. People around us may try to calm us down by saying that the child will get better as he/she grows up. However, as parents, we should not ignore the problem, and we should appreciate the opportunity for early intervention. I would like to encourage parents to not give up during the intervention process. Parents’ participation and patience are very important during the intervention process. As long as we search for our child, a suitable and professional intervention, and we are complying with such intervention, we will definitely see improvement in the child. Parents’ psychological state also determines a child’s progress. If we are unable to accept our children, they would have no chance for intervention, hence, no improvement.

Interviewee： Enrique's Mum on April 25, 2013.