Client Profile
Some of the most rewarding work at ACMHS involves counseling and assisting parents and young children from newborns to age five. One situation involved a Vietnamese boy whose parents kept him hidden from everyone because he showed signs of autism and the parents felt shame and guilt. By persuading the parents to join group sessions with other Vietnamese parents, ACMHS was able to assist the parents to understand their son's medical condition and to get treatment that would help him.
When the parents of a four-year-old Vietnamese boy placed their son in daycare, a teacher suspected that he might suffer from autism, a serious neuropsychological disorder that may include emotional detachment, little or abnormal speech, lower IQ, aggression, ritualistic behaviors, self-injury and other behaviors. The teacher contacted ACMHS.
A Vietnamese counselor from ACMHS went to the daycare center, but the parents refused to speak at the school site. The parents did not want anyone to know that their son might be ill. For three years, the parents kept themselves and their son isolated from anyone outside of the family.
The ACMHS counselor asked if the parents would come to the office. They refused, and instead reluctantly agreed to let the counselor come to their home. There, the counselor learned that the parents believed their son's "strange" behavior was a sign that he was possessed by an evil spirit and the only way to end the curse would be to move back to Vietnam. They never took their son to a doctor to determine what might be wrong because they didn't know of any Vietnamese-speaking pediatricians.
The ACMHS Vietnamese counselor didn't challenge the parents' beliefs. Instead the counselor invited them to come and hear other Vietnamese parents whose young children had similar behavior. After about three months and many invitations, the boy's parents finally came to a Vietnamese support group. ACMHS was able to make a referral for their son to get a full evaluation, and he was diagnosed with autism. Now he is getting proper treatment as well as educational placement and support.
The parents have continued to come back to the ACMHS Vietnamese group, where they find support and comfort in knowing that there are parent networks, resources, and information in Vietnamese. The ACMHS "0-5 program," together with Developmental Disability services and Family Support programs, provide psychoeducation counseling, parent support groups, family case management and adaptive social and life skills for the child. This boy's parents now take an active role in their parenting. They gained strength through ties with other parents, as well as education and support from the program.