Autism Partnership Foundation
Charitable Organization
Charitable Organization
Together We Create a Better World for People with Autism
Children with autism are usually rigid and picky about food. It is difficult for parents to prepare meals for them. Ming’s mother had been frustrated by Ming’s picky eating problems. She is delighted that Ming has been willing to try new foods after receiving Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) treatment. Here’s the interview we did with Ming’s mother:
How did you find out that Ming has autism?
“Ming could only imitate ‘ma’, ‘ba’ and ‘gong’ when he was about two years old. He was weak at spontaneous language and eye contact. He was also picky about food. He only ate pork and potato. I therefore suspected that he has autism. He was later diagnosed with autism after an assessment.”
What were the obstacles when you looked after Ming?
“Taking care of Ming was really tiring. He was a severe picky eater. When I served some food that he had never tried before, he would take a long time to observe the food before deciding whether to eat it.”
How did you feel at that time?
“I was depressed and ignored my daughter. I worried a lot about Ming’s health, but I had to control my emotions and could not throw tantrums. I really didn’t know how to solve picky eating, so I could only seek help from the professionals.”
Has Ming improved after receiving the treatment? How do you feel?
“Ming is now more willing to try foods that he hasn’t tried before, such as bean curd jelly and scrambled eggs with green onions. I am very glad to see his improvement, which has motivated me to prepare meals for him. Besides, he makes more eye contact and has more interactions with people. I think ABA treatment is the most effective way to help children with autism to reduce their behavioural problems. I will definitely recommend this treatment programme to other parents.”
What are your expectations of Ming?
“Ming has overcome picky eating. I hope that he can further improve his communication skills and can integrate into the society in the future.”
(Recorded by APF)
Ming’s mother was invited to share her perspective on ASD and ABA services with Autism Partnership Foundation (operating in Hong Kong) (APF, HK). Ming is a current beneficiary of APF, HK.
