Cheah (right) and SAA president David Ngu during the virtual talk.
SIBU (June 19): Nurturing the growth and development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not an individual journey, but that of the whole family, said Lawrence Cheah whose autistic son Delwin was named the world’s youngest savant artist to hold a solo exhibition when he was nine years old.
In sharing his story during the ‘Fathering in Austism’ virtual talk yesterday organised by Sibu Autistic Association (SAA), Cheah said that if parent failed in this task, it would mean the whole family had failed.
“Parenting is teamwork. When we want to walk, walk together. We cannot leave anyone behind. Do not give every job to your wife, take part in the responsibility,” he said.
According to Cheah, he and his wife knew something was not right with Delwin when at the age of three, he still could not talk, did not make eye contact and was unable to socialise.
However, he refused to believe there was anything wrong with his son.
“At that time, due to the low awareness on autism, no one knew what was wrong with our son.
“Some people thought he was retarded. We saw that he could do things like draw and memorise things, but on the other hand he could not perform like other normal children,” he said.
Cheah said it was only when Delwin was five that he decided to send his son to a doctor for a diagnosis after much persuasion from his wife.
Delwin was then dignosed with Asperger syndrome.
He also scored 114 in a non-verbal IQ test which is above that of normal children.
Cheah said he and his wife decided to try out many things with their son, after learning that each autistic child has their own talent and uniqueness.
“One day while sitting in a cafe, I gave Delwin a blank paper but he did not know what to do with it.
“I then picked up a pencil and scribbled something and it caught his attention, so I continued to draw until I was too tired to continue.”
He said due to Delwin’s poor motor skills, it took him three months to hold a pencil properly and start drawing. However, Delwin kept breaking the pencil tip which led to Cheah giving him a pen.
From then on, he said his son started to drawn non-stop day and night, and could go through a few reams of paper in a week.
“He started to improve and his drawings became wonderful pieces of art,” added Cheah.
Later, his son began receiving sponsorships for art exhibitions and was then awarded the ‘Youngest Artist to Hold a Solo Art Exhibition in Malaysia’ by the Malaysia Book of Records, and subsequently recognised as the world’s youngest savant artist to hold a solo art exhibition.
Since then, Delwin has met many celebrities and he even received signed letters from former United States President Barrack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II praising his artworks.
“What I am trying to say is, as parents, if we do not take the first step, we will never start the journey…take it as a challenge,” said Cheah, adding that working together as a couple will help overcome the tough times in raising a child with ASD.
He added the couple has never pressured Delwin or their daughter to do well in their studies.
Even so, he said Delwin, who studied in the American syllabus, graduated with Level 12 of the high school diploma at the age of 17, while their daughter graduated with Level 12 of the same diploma at 16.
“Our daughter, since young, does everything all by herself. She took up archery and was a state player and now, she took up judo and is also a state player.”
Cheah urged all parents of autistic children to begin nurturing their development as early as possible, but also to not be discouraged if their children do not develop any specific talent.
“If your child does not have any special talent, but can contribute to society, I think that is already good,” he said.