Autism
Autistic boy wonder in
Penang gets letter from Obama
BY LOOI
SUE-CHERN
Published:
22 August 2014
Gifted 11-year-old Delwin Cheah with the letter
from US President Barack Obama. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain,
August 22, 2014.It is not everyday a boy receives a letter from the President
of the United States. Let alone if he is an 11-year-old who lives halfway
across the globe.
But
Penang boy Delwin Cheah Wien Loong did, when he received a letter from
President Barack Obama.
Delwin is
no ordinary boy. He is the Malaysia Book of Records' "Youngest Artist To
Hold Solo Visual Art Exhibition (Autism Spectrum Disorder)" and the United
States' Record Setter's "World Youngest Savant Artist (ASD) to hold a Solo
Exhibition".
Delwin is
autistic but his achievements had previously earned him and his family the
chance to meet and rub shoulders with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and
his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Now, he
has a letter from Obama, thanking him for his "gift", a book of his
drawings titled "I Can Draw".
In the
July 14 letter, Obama wrote that "the world needs young people like you
who are trying hard in school, serving your community, and dreaming big
dreams".
"We
face many challenges, but with your help, we can build on what we have already
achieved and forge a brighter tomorrow," the US president wrote.
Delwin's
parents Lawrence Cheah and Erina Law said they never expected a letter from the
president and were surprised to learn that Obama had recently received the
book.
"The
book came out two years ago when Delwin had his first art exhibition," she
said.
Her
husband Lawrence said they had no idea who gave the book to Obama.
"We
are also trying to find out who is this person," he said.
The
couple and their son have been in the news many times because of the boy's
talent in drawing.
Banking
on what Delwin can do, the proud parents have been trying to reach out to other
parents with autistic children, reminding them never to give up.
Often,
they try to inspire others with Delwin's story, from the time they discovered
he had Asperger's Disorder at age five but also an IQ of 114, making him the
world's youngest Savant artist today.
Lawrence
and his wife advocate early detection and early intervention, and they stress
on the importance of teaching and training children with autism from young to
help them develop their talents.
"Once
you have the diagnosis, you can only accept (that your child has) autism and
start seeing to your child's training and education to develop his or her
hidden talents," he said, stressing that waiting for the child to grow up
to be taught would be too late.
He said
Delwin had started drawing when he was just over three years old, and even then
he had been drawing wild animals especially Safari animals.
"I
sent Delwin to art classes after we discovered that he liked drawing. The
teacher came to me and said my son was the worst student and he can never be an
artist.
"Delwin
could not take instructions. He just drew whatever that came to him. So the
teacher did not know how to deal with a student like that.
"But
we never gave up and we kept encouraging him to develop his skills and his art.
Delwin is where he is now because we persevered together with him as a
team," Lawrence said.
When it
comes to art, Delwin is not like kids his age, who would normally use pencils
to draw so they could easily rub off mistakes. Delwin uses pens and draws his
animals so well there are no mistakes.
Law said
it is important to understand how autistic children learn and do things
differently, and be supportive instead of regarding them as disabled.
Delwin,
she said, does not hold a disabled person's card and goes to a normal school
with normal schoolmates.
He is
enrolled in Lighthouse Academy Penang, a private school with an American
syllabus in Tanjung Bungah that uses a homeschooling approach with its
students.
"Delwin
attends school like other children his age. He just learns differently,"
she said.
The
family's hardwork with Delwin and their belief in his abilities paid off when
the boy began making waves in recent years.
On
Christmas Day 2011, Delwin was recognised by Stroke of Genius, an American
organisation that educates and empowers people with Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD) by promoting their abilities.
In April
2012, he took part in the organisation's art exhibition at the United Nations
Plaza in New York and in February last year, he had his first solo show.
In April
last year, Delwin made the Malaysia Book of Records as the youngest artist to
hold a solo visual art exhibition with 60 art pieces.
Later in
November, he was officially named the world's youngest savant artist to hold an
exhibition by the Record Setter.
In April
this year, he again made his mark with the Malaysia Book of Records for winning
the "Most Outstanding Personality (Art Category)" award.
The
latest feather on Delwin's cap is of course the letter he received from the
White House.
Savant
syndrome is a condition in which a person with a mental disability, such as an
autism spectrum disorder, demonstrates profound and prodigious capacities or
abilities far in excess of what would be considered normal.
Some
people with Savant syndrome demonstrate exceptional skills in areas like rapid
calculation, art, memory and musical ability.
Asperger
syndrome or Asperger disorder (AD) is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is
characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction, non-verbal
communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests.
People
with Asperger's do not have a learning disability and most go through
mainstream school, pursue higher education and enter employment, and some would
excel in areas like mathematics, science, language, memory and concentration. –
August 22, 2014.
- See
more at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/autistic-boy-wonder-in-penang-gets-letter-from-obama#sthash.5OMXzS8S.dpuf
