What We Do

Many parents let their children watch television or play games on their mobile phones to keep their children occupied. Fei’s mother used to let Fei play with her mobile phone and watch videos, but she felt very guilty when Fei was diagnosed with autism. She also felt frustrated and helpless about the development of Fei. Until she joined the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) treatment provided by Autism Partnership Foundation (APF), she regained confidence in taking care of Fei.

Fei’s mother said she did not know autism in the past and was sad when she knew Fei had autism. Fei seldom talked and was only willing to talk when she was very happy. Although Fei had social interest, she did not know how to express herself. Fei’s mother arranged some individual and group training courses for Fei before, but the effectiveness of those training was insignificant which made her very discouraged. She revealed that she was suffered from depression and often felt hopeless. She also blamed herself and said, “I used to let Fei play with my mobile phone when I was busy. I seldom spent time with her which might cause her to have developmental delay. I really didn’t know how to raise my kid.” Fortunately, she encountered APF through one of her friends.

Fei received ABA treatment at APF for one week, Fei’s mother noticed that Fei’s spontaneous language had improved a lot. After a month of the training, Fei’s emotional control and level of compliance also greatly enhanced. Fei’s mother benefited from the treatment as well, “I learnt from the therapists about how to use rewards to train Fei in daily life, such as using rewards to encourage Fei to sit nicely. Fei has improved a lot and can follow instructions now.”

The ABA treatment has greatly relieved the stress of Fei’s mother and helped her regain confidence in raising Fei.  She felt like she had found a way out of her dark life. She was determined to strive her best to take good care of Fei, “APF has completely changed my family. I am grateful for the support from APF. Now I realise the importance of effective training. I will spend more time on training Fei with the skills I have learnt from the therapists.”

Fei’s mother was invited to share his/her perspective on ASD and ABA services with Autism Partnership Foundation (operating in Hong Kong) (APF, HK). Fei is a past beneficiary of APF, HK.