Unlike in the past, the word autistic today resonates among parents and the public. However, many people still do not understand the condition.

Many think autistic kids are retarded. But in fact they are pretty much like normal kids, it’s just that they simply have some behavioural problems.

Their language skills develop more slowly and they don’t know how to interact with others in an acceptable way.

However, if their behaviour is adjusted at an early stage, they can lead a relatively full life.

Because of their emotional aggression, short concentration span, taciturn character and communication barriers, autistic children are often rejected by society.

Many of them are deprived of their educational right even though the 1997 constitution states clearly that “people have equal right to access free and fundamental education provided by the government for at least 12 years”.

Fully realising the value of education, Ladda*, Nong Ball*’s mother, has never tired of seeking educational opportunities for her child, despite constant rejection from schools that claimed they didn’t have the staff to take care of autistic students.

“I tried to enroll my son in many schools but they all turned us down,” said Ladda.

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“One school allowed Nong Ball to study with other kids but when I asked the school whether it would accept him, the principal told me that she hadn’t made a decision yet.

“This meant Nong Ball wasted three months at that school.”

Over the years, Nong Ball went from one school to another. At one school, a terrible incident occurred when they wouldn’t allow him to join in art classes.

The teacher said that Nong Ball was aggressive and bullied other pupils and had to be taken care of by an assistant teacher. so the assistant tied Nong Ball’s leg to a pillar in the classroom.

“I didn’t know about it but one parent who saw the incident couldn’t stand seeing it so she told me,” said Ladda.

“That day Nong Ball quit the school. I asked the teacher if she had tied my son to a pillar and she admitted it, claiming she couldn’t take care of him because he was too aggressive.”

Then, when she felt there was nowhere to turn, someone suggested Somthavil School to Ladda.

“When I took Nong Ball there, the school accepted him immediately,” beamed Ladda.

Somthavil School is a refuge for parents with autistic kids and other special needs children. it is the first institution in Thailand that runs a home school system, which provides appropriate education to each autistic child until they finish secondary school.

The school aims to allow autistic children to fully develop and arm themselves with knowledge and morality so they can live a normal life and contribute to society.

Home School of Somthavil School is the brainchild of owner Somthavil Sangkasaba and Ajarn Yingthanom Thiemmedh, who well realised the problems parents with autistic children go through.

The two veteran teachers know these kids are always rejected by many schools or they may be bullied by normal students who don’t understand autism.

Also, normally-trained teachers are unable to fully develop autistic students.

According to Somthavil director Oratai Piyaphichetkul, their home school is different from others because the school, not the home, is the centre of teaching and learning.

“Our first experience with an autistic child was in 1982,” said Oratai.

“He was sent to our school via Dr Phenkhae Limsila, a specialist in autism, with a document identifying him as an autistic child. We accepted him though at the time we had no idea about the condition. We sent him to learn with normal kids. Apparently, he could socialise with others. He enjoyed talking with his friends and looked happy at school.”

‘‘Special students’’ participate in cooking and music classes to develop skills.

The school took more autistic students until it decided to send their teachers to be specially trained to handle these special kids.

“So far, out of 500 students, we have 100 autistic students but we call them ‘special kids’,” explained Oratai.

The school coordinates with Dr Phenkhae when it comes to the selection of autistic students.

They will then be sent to Ban Kru Or to adjust their behaviour and enhance skills such as their communication. after that they are sent to Somthavil School to join classes with normal kids under the “Good Buddy” scheme.

“Our normal kids are well acquainted with special students so they will not ridicule them,” said Oratai.

“The atmosphere in our school is filled with compassion and generosity. Initially autistic kids will come to school two days a week and after they adjust to the new environment they attend normal weekly classes.”

Initially, the school does not focus on academic matters but pays more attention to the behavioural adjustment.

Then follows the process of meditation practice. Academic emphasis comes last. Eventually, autistic students will be sent back to Dr Phenkhae for further assessment.

Nong Nee*’s father also found it difficult to find the right school for his daughter, especially as she grew older.

“Nong Nee is our first-born. When she was one month old, she was diagnosed as having Downs syndrome,” said Somchai*, adding, “I felt like my whole world had collapsed. When I came to my senses, I asked the doctor about Nong Nee’s development. He said she would learn how to wai when she was 10.”

But Somchai never gave up. He took Nong Nee to regular physical therapy sessions until her development was at the Slow Learner Level. Aged 10, she could do more than a simple wai.

“After that she joined classes with normal kids and we found that she became the forgotten child at the back of the class,” said Somchai.

“Finally, I sent her to study at Somthavil School and her development has been much better. I want my daughter to glean life’s experiences. But it would be great if she can improve her academic skills. I don’t want to hinder her. But I admit that her competence is limited, so her life skills are more important to her in the future.”

Currently, there is still no conclusion about the real cause of autism. But it is widely believed there are many factors including genetics, vaccines and the environment.

Usually, all abnormalities happen when the child is still in the womb. Some show symptoms when they are still young. Others show signs of autism when they grow older.

The treatment of autism needs help from many specialists including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists and special education teachers.

The treatment of autistic kids has no fixed rule. But no matter which method we choose, we should start from our love since familial love is the powerful treatment. Parents should be patient and show understanding when it comes to the development of their kids since some autistic children are also geniuses.

Nong Por’s* mother Pornsri* is among many parents who uses the power of love to help him develop normally.

“Ours is an academic family so we embrace the concept of home school,” said Pornsri.

“We wrote a curriculum of our own after realising that Nong Por was a slow learner. We hired a teacher to teach him at home. However, Nong Por still went to school as usual.”

Once he was a lively and confident child but soon he became taciturn and withdrawn. Nong Por couldn’t express his inner feelings with friends as he once did, and it was then Pornsri realised she had to find him a new school.

She approached Dr Phenkhae for advice and he encouraged her to let him socialise with other children instead of learning at home because by nature, humans are gregarious.

Dr Phenkhae suggested Pornsri visit Somthavil School and when she did, she immediately knew it was a dream school for her son.

“To me, Somthavil is more than a school. it is a small community of autistic kids. it is a holistic learning centre. Our purpose is not aimed at academic achievement. But we want our child to stand on his own feet,” Pornsri stressed.

Names have been changed.

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