Malaysian CARE

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Bridging the Gap for Adi Through Early Intervention Support

When a child shows signs of developmental delays, the waiting period before getting formal help can feel endless. Through Malaysian CARE’s Early Intervention Support (EIS), Hassan* and wife was made more aware of their son, Adi’s* condition and developmental needs. But more than that, they were also able to learn how to support his growth at home while waiting for formal intervention.

Hassan* and wife did not notice that their son, Adi* was different from other the children until he was around 3 years old. He was hyperactive and could not follow instructions. He struggled to communicate with his peers because he struggled to speak. Other children avoided playing with him, and loud sounds sometimes overwhelmed him at church.

“There was no awareness,” Hassan recalled. “People told us we were irresponsible parents.” 

Caring for Adi was stressful, and as a couple, they struggled too. They did not know how to help Adi and the doctors suspected autism. It was their first time hearing the word autism. With no guidance, and limited resources, they could only hope.

That hope came, quite unexpectedly through food provision initiative by CARE during the pandemic. At that time, Hassan was one of the community leaders who helped with food delivery. Through this, we managed to connect Hassan and his family to our special needs services.

“I never knew there were free services for children with special needs,” he shared with gratitude. Even as a community leader who has met many organisations over the years, he was genuinely surprised that our services were free. All services or centres he had come across in the past was paid. The family was introduced to the Toy Library and EIS programme, where little Adi underwent an initial assessment. 

Through our screening, we discovered that Adi was disoriented with much sensory dysregulation. Intervention sessions soon began, twice a week at our centre. It was challenging at first due to his struggle with language and understanding but we managed to identify his strength through toys and intervention support to develop his skills.

Over time, the programme evolved. One session moved to the family’s home, allowing us to better understand their environment and involve his parents more directly which resulted in strengthened family-based practices.

The combination of centre intervention and house visits paid off. Since then, Adi improved in following instructions. He listened more. The aggressive outbursts became less frequent. Hassan and his wife learned to understand their son’s needs more deeply and, in the process, became more patient and supportive towards each other. The shared burden no longer felt so heavy.

The combination of centre intervention and house visits paid off. Since then, Adi improved in following instructions. He listened more. The aggressive outbursts became less frequent. Hassan and his wife learned to understand their son’s needs more deeply and, in the process, became more patient and supportive towards each other. The shared burden no longer felt so heavy.

Today, the family is better equipped to support Adi and is sharing their experience to guide other parents. Hassan and his wife dream of a future where Adi can be independent and flourish.

It is our hope that every child like Adi will have the same opportunity, and every parent will find the support and knowledge they need.

*Name altered to protect identity.

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