Stories to Inspire
Javier Foo
Javier Foo was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of 5. His mother, Mrs Jane Foo, shares about how her journey in caring for him in this article published in the October 2009 issue of Extrapage.
I have two lovely children, a teenager of age 13 and another of age 9. The younger of the two, Javier was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of 5.
Yes, I had my fair share of distressing years, having to go to different doctors, psychologists, professionals, not to mention the several assessments to be done before the actual therapies could begin. In addition, there is also the emotional well being and financial costs to cope with. Unknowingly, I became very anxious and concerned over Javier's development.
After partial acceptance of Javier's condition, I began my journey of learning more about ASD. Only with an open mind, did I begin to get to know my son, as a person. Although Javier has difficulty expressing himself verbally, he compensated by expressing it pictorially.
Javier can barely manage his academics but in the world of visuals, he aced it. He has an exceptional memory for visual details and he can draw what he saw earlier. He enjoys drawing and draws most of the time. He used to draw only one picture over again and again but today, he draws more things that interest him. His recent interest is in the human body systems.
During a recent occupational therapy session with Xiu Ling of SPD@Tampines, Javier drew a panda for her. At the next visit, he saw his work all framed up, hung on the wall along the corridor leading to the gym room. He was overwhelmed with emotions. Not uttering a single word, he ran towards me, threw a hug, with tears swelling in his eyes. I believe, for the first time, he felt a great sense of achievement. It was indeed an acknowledgement of being just himself. He must have felt a great sense of self worth and self-fulfilment.
In my quiet moments, I sensed that I am not being fair to him. So often, I focused on his weaknesses, wanting him to improve in these areas and conveniently, brushing aside his non-academic achievements. Through Javier's art, I learned even more about him, his interests, his perspectives…
Having Javier has allowed me to have a different perspective of the things around us. I learn to communicate with and without words. I learn to live life with greater humility and practice the phrase "never give up".
It is much more than finding joy in parenting Javier. Each time, he smiles or learns and could cope better with and in our world, I find not only joy but a deep sense of self fulfilment, satisfaction and peace, much like fulfilling my presence. My life has been enriched by him. Perhaps, Javier is like any one of us, is not disabled but only abled differently.