‘A sense of routine has helped’: Hong Kong ethnic minority children with special needs face delayed diagnoses and social stigma, but charity seeks change
- The number of ethnic minority pupils with special needs may be underestimated due to misperceptions, CEO of Zubin Foundation Shalini Mahtani notes
- Anu Thapa* says bringing her son with autism to learning centre has helped him perform better at school, manage outbursts
Homemaker Anu Thapa*, 34, tearfully recalled one of her nine-year-old son Amar’s* outbursts, the scratches left behind from the altercation still visible on her hands and face.
“He pulls down cabinets, attacks me and his father and even hits himself,” said the Nepali mother in Hong Kong, whose son has autism.
“Anything from an allergic reaction to the weather can trigger an outburst. He’s big and strong, so we can only wrap him tightly in a blanket and wait for the ordeal to pass.”
But ever since Amar began attending the Kriti Children’s Centre for Learning and Development in Yau Ma Tei, his physical outbursts became less frequent, Thapa said.
“The sense of routine has helped and the extra learning opportunities mean he’s doing better in school,” she said.
Amar is among 900 ethnic minority students attending 62 public schools for pupils with special education needs (SEN). There is just one privately run school in the city for pupils with special needs.