Before each time Ong has a new tutor, his mother Bach Thuy Linh (real name of singer-teacher Nguyet Ca) sends them a document that she affectionately calls "Ong's user manual". In it, she introduces the teachers to her son's characteristics as well as support methods.
Talk to your child like an adult
"Hai Phong is a child with congenital autism, so he has difficulty expressing words and communicating properly. For example, he may speak slowly, say a sentence without a subject, or arrange words in the wrong place, or answer without honorifics like "sir, ah, yes, yes". That is because of his disability or he does not know how to do it correctly, not because he is impolite. So the better way to support him is when he does not speak with enough subjects and predicates, the teacher immediately gives a model for him to follow... He is quite obedient, so when given the right instructions, he will happily follow", Ms. Bach Thuy Linh wrote in the "Ong user guide".
"The Bee User Guide" has many similar sections. There, many of Bee's characteristics are listed by the mother along with solutions such as: being honest so easily angered by others, being lazy to read aloud, always taking things literally... She also introduces Bee's advantages such as: being intelligent, understanding quickly, being emotional, being able to read silently with the eyes quite quickly, being able to find details due to being trained a lot in English reading comprehension exercises.
Overcoming the fear of unusual journeys common in autistic children, Ong was able to travel to many places with his mother Bach Thuy Linh.
Ms. Thuy Linh also tried to get Ong involved in the process of "guiding Ong to use" by talking to her child like an adult.
"I said very frankly, my child is a child with such syndrome, what difficulties does he have, what advantages does he have. My child and I read a book about intervention together, and watched videos on YouTube. When we came to a page about the difficulties of autistic children, Ong said: Oh, this child is also afraid of cutting hair and nails like me. I think when Ong understands himself, he will know how to be more independent," Linh shared.
Unusual joys
But the “Ong manual” doesn’t always help Ong. When Ong goes to school, the story is much more difficult. “If autistic children go to public schools, according to regulations, the school does not refuse, but the classes are so crowded that teachers can hardly help. Many families are required to have a disability certificate so that their children can be exempted from exams, and their achievements are not counted in the school’s achievements. Private schools have the right to choose students and refuse.
Ong's mother was also called to "suggest" transferring schools twice when Ong was in elementary school. Some parents complained to the school board to protest against letting Ong study with them, even though sometimes Ong was not the one who started the trouble...", Ms. Thuy Linh recalled.
Letter from Ong to Grandma on November 20
She chose for Ong to study both at school and at home. He went to school with the help of a tutor, and he also studied at home with his mother using the American Homeschool program. Ong just finished the 8th grade Homeschool exam and will continue to study high school using this program. Even though she has the advantage of being an English teacher and also being able to teach Homeschool, Ms. Thuy Linh still had to accept to step back to accompany her son. But for her, the trade-off is normal.
"I started early with an English center. The English centers of my time have now come a long way. I myself like to study and have the ability, so I feel sad when my friends have many achievements. I always take short courses, I don't stand still but I also have a certain inferiority complex and it is inevitable that I feel sad," said Linh.
Bee “started out” by selling candy at a local running “fair.”
In return, she also finds other joys. One of them is a 30-minute English learning program for mothers every morning or late at night. Busy mothers learn English online for half an hour together to have more opportunities at work, or to teach their children. She also has a small channel for singing English. On it, Vietnamese songs with gentle melodies are translated into English and the famous Trinh music singer Thuy Linh sings. Later, Ong sometimes records with her mother. The YouTube and TikTok channels of the mother and daughter under the name Nguyet Ca Me Ong both have many followers.
She said she only takes joy in her child's progress, without any expectations. "My child can only say one sentence, and I'm already very happy. Other parents would worry if they saw their child swearing or lying, but I would be very happy because my child can feel the language, or know the negative side of life like a normal child. When switching to the American high school program, while still studying the Vietnamese program, Ong said: "Mom, don't you think I'm busy enough?". I didn't think my child could say something like that. That's a joy that only mothers with autistic children can understand," Thuy Linh confided.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-dan-su-dung-ong-1852503072159452.htm
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