Therapy that gives Hong Kong's autistic children a fighting chance
A rewards-based therapy fosters positive behavioural changes in children with autism and helps them develop skills
Friends used to tell Jai how blessed she was to have such a compliant, easy-going child who didn't throw any tantrums. It wasn't until her son was 2½ years old that she realised why: Etash had autism.
"I was pretty devastated," says Jai, 32. "I was in denial for about five months after he was diagnosed."
At 27 months, an age when most toddlers are able to communicate, Etash was non-verbal. He was eager to play with other kids, but didn't know how to and wasn't able to start a conversation. He babbled constantly and never called his parents "mum" or "dad".
Concerned, Jai took him to a paediatrician, who referred her to a developmental doctor, who gave the diagnosis. When she finally accepted the reality soon after Etash's third birthday, Jai decided that ignoring his condition was not the best thing to do.
"I did my research and found that early intervention is essential for kids with autism," says Jai, who was living in India at the time.
She came across a therapy called applied behaviour analysis (ABA), an evidence-based scientific teaching method founded in the US in the 1960s that has shown to be highly effective for bringing about positive behavioural changes and developing skills in all types of learners - especially for children with autism.
As she researched more she realised India couldn't provide the special education expertise she needed. She decided to move back to Hong Kong, where she had previously worked for seven years as an analyst for Goldman Sachs.
