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墨書 Inktalez
“Haohao's Mom, I’m sending you a video. Take a look; this is Haohao during the activity time yesterday afternoon.”
The teacher's message showed no emotion, which made me nervous. I wondered if something was wrong with Haohao. I quickly opened the video.
“Hubby, hubby!” I exclaimed excitedly as I just got out of bed.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Weicong caught my excitement and his tone became urgent.
“It’s our son; he performed at kindergarten!” I was so happy that I didn’t know how to express it.
In the video, Haohao stood by the window sill, glancing at the other children playing on the other side.
“Linlin is here, a gentle little crocodile living in the sewer,” he mimicked Dobby (a character from the animated series “Invincible Deer Squad”) in voice and tone.
“He’s not a monster; he’s my friend Little Crocodile Linlin.”
“I’m sorry for scaring you; I just wanted to know if this is your ball?” (He continued in the little crocodile's voice.)
“Maybe you want to play ball together?” (He imitated Tie Boss's voice.)
“I just want to be your friend,” (he first mimicked the little crocodile's pleading tone and then switched back to Dobby's voice.)
His soft tone carried a small plea.
Haohao longed for friends, for playmates.
At the end of school, the teacher said he performed particularly well today and played with his classmates for two or three minutes.
Haohao’s little face was flushed; although he didn’t speak, I could feel his happiness because when he said goodbye to the teacher, his eyes were fixed on her.
“Thank you for filming Haohao, teacher,” I called her that evening.
“Haohao's Mom, I have another video; I’ll send it to you right away.”
This was a video of Haohao “talking to himself” that the teacher had filmed for the children to watch. At first, the children seemed a bit indifferent.
“Kids, listen carefully and see how many characters Haohao is portraying by himself.”
After being guided by the teacher, the children began to watch attentively and realized that Haohao could express himself using different voices, and they couldn’t help but look at him.
“Kids, listen closely again; are these words what Haohao wants to say to everyone?”
Children’s hearts are always the most sensitive and warm. They started watching Haohao quietly, and soon some of them actively handed their toys to Haohao to play with.
The video ends here, but my tears flowed down. Although I did not see Haohao's expression, I can imagine he must have been very happy. My little son, who struggles to express himself, is so clever! You use the lines you can remember to convey your thoughts. How much you long to fit in with everyone!
"Teacher, thank you so much! My son's growth really needs a teacher like you by his side. I... I really don't know how to express my gratitude."
"Haohao's Mom, I just thought of this too. Like you, I hope for the best for Haohao. Let's work together from now on!"
"Yes, thank you, teacher!" When I was about to end the call with the teacher again, my voice was already trembling.
Before bed, I showed both videos to Haohao. Watching his bright eyes fixed on the screen, I felt deeply for the first time how happy it is to be helped by others! It was like the warm sun in spring, a beam of light that made my heart swell and shine.
The teacher's unintentional act was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, helping us find new ideas. Suddenly, Weicong and I had a thought: could we record some videos of our child's growth? If this could help everyone understand and support our child more, would his future life be less difficult?
We took action and began uploading Haohao's daily life on social media: going to the supermarket to buy things; when told he could only take one windmill candy, he returned the extra ones to their original place. Learning to ride a bicycle; due to sensory integration issues, his balance and coordination were poor, and he always refused to pedal himself, instead letting his dad push him. Listening quietly to his favorite piano pieces or Zhou Shen's "Touching the Untouchable," sitting there listening on repeat for dozens of times. His sensitivity to taste and smell made him very picky about food; often during meals, it became a game of "you chase me." When faced with something he didn't want to accept or was stopped from doing something he particularly wanted to do but couldn't express it, he would lie on the ground crying or reach out to give orders.
He would play seriously with his puzzles or read those few books he had gone through many times. Interactions with other children in the neighborhood would last only a few minutes before he would run off alone. Although he really wanted to play with them, he didn't know how; most of the time, he would just run in circles around his favorite friend. He would suddenly burst into laughter uncontrollably. He would reach out or pull at strangers he felt good about.
Most of the videos are very short, providing only simple explanations alongside the visuals. We authentically document every aspect of Haohao's life, trying to help those around him understand him more fully and comprehensively, so they can be more understanding and accepting of him.
But…
"What’s so special about this kid? Is this just seeking sympathy?"
"Autism? Ha, I think he just needs a good beating,"
"These parents are just trying to create hype,"
"He just needs to be hit less; if you hit him more, he'll listen,"
"Isn't this just a fool or someone with an intellectual disability? He can't even speak!"
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