An excellent account of the writer’s candid experiences with her autistic sibling as well as daily struggles her family has to cope with. Free of jargon, it is an easy read that provides an insight into the autism world, and allows readers to peer into the mind and understand the idiosyncratic behaviours of an autistic individual.
– Dr Noel Chia Kok Hwee, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood & Special Education Academic Group, NIE
Just as with mental illness, there are many misconceptions about autism. This book, beautifully penned by the author that draws on the struggles of a family with an autistic child, brought tears to my eyes. And it leads me to ask: “Can’t society learn to accept that children with autism are also God’s children who need love, understanding and support to enable them to lead perfectly normal lives?”
– Raymond Anthony Fernando, Author, Motivational Speaker, Mental Health Activist
© Aqilah Teo, 2012
ISBN 978-981-07-1800-8 (paperback)
ISBN 978-981-14-0894-6 (ebook)
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National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Teo, Aqilah,1985
Ordinary stories in an extraordinary world /Aqilah Teo. – Singapore : Ethos Books, c2012.
p. cm.
ISBN : 978-981-07-1800-8 (pbk.)
ISBN : 978-981-14-0894-6 (ebk)
1. Autistic children – Singapore – Biography. 2. Autistic children – Care
–
Singapore. I. Title.
RJ506.A9
618.92858820092 -- dc22
OCN780421871
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To my father Paul Teo, the scholar
To my mother Sabariah Teo, the sage
And to Jan, who sits beside me as I write.
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1: A Tale Of Anomalous Childhoods
Chapter 2: The Policemen Were Blue, The Doctors Were White
Chapter 3: Outsmart Me If You Can
Chapter 4: A Memento A Day
Chapter 5: From Strength To Strength
Chapter 6: How One Is Declared Unfit For Duty
Chapter 7: I Want To Go To School
Chapter 8: It Even Has Its Own Day
Chapter 9: Go The Distance
Chapter 10: People Who Know Things
Chapter 11: The Queen Moves Across The Board
Jan
Prologue
As I have mentioned to many friends, this is not a textbook on autism. That would be a very interesting textbook, and it has not been written yet. Perhaps it will never be. Nor is this a manual on special needs; no, nothing of that sort.
This is a true account of what the special needs world is like in Singapore. Here, I have covered merely a fraction of the thousands of stories that can be told in a thousand different ways.
I am only able to write from a second-hand point of view on autism. A first-hand account mapping out all the secrets of autism would probably be declared the next Wonder of the World. But Jan has so far not shown any inclination for writing.
One may jest, but in the special needs world, we are constantly fighting for awareness and provisions. Sometimes, it is simply about acceptance, one less sneer at, and one more open heart for a special needs child on the street. This is my part of the fight.
All the names mentioned in this book are real, except for those of children and my brother himself. Jan is not his real name. It does, however, hold a special significance for him.
Aqilah Teo
Chapter 1
A Tale Of Anomalous Childhoods
My mother groan’d! My father wept
Into this dangerous world I leapt
Helpless, naked, piping loud
Like a fiend hid in a cloud
– William Blake, Infant Sorrow
The 1st Step: Into the Dangerous World
My brother Jan had not come with a manual.
My memories of the events surrounding his birth are somewhat fuzzy today, but I recall my parents had not said to me, ‘Congratulations, you’ve a new baby brother. We’ve got a manual too, so we’ll figure out how to operate him soon enough.’
I had lived as an only child for the first six years of my life, and did not fully understand the concept of a baby brother.
My parents seemed to be very busy and I knew that something important was going to happen. I knew what babies looked like, and someone had probably told me that we would have one in the house soon.
‘What is this new thing that is coming?’ I had wondered. ‘Is it for me? Does it run on batteries? Will it make a noise if I poke at it?’
Beyond that, however, it was all vague bits of uninteresting information as I went about my own daily business.
Then, one day, the new arrival came home. I resented the intrusion of this new member of the family, this reddish wailing thing wrapped in a large white napkin. I might have preferred a hotdog; it would have looked almost the same and posed a much lesser threat.
Nonetheless I soon grew fond of him in a shallow, childish way. He was cute, and fun to poke at and play with. But when it came to important matters such as who got to lie next to my mother at bedtime, I turned into a monster of a jealous sibling. Indeed, I would push him away and throw great tantrums until my mother handed him over
