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Unfolding Stories
Navigating life in Indonesia as an adult with autism
People who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can find navigating life in Indonesia to be more difficult than other adults, as some individuals with the condition have shared.
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Unique parenting: Hersinta Suroso (left) and her son Muhammad Auzriel Pasha, 18, who has nonspeaking autism, share smiles. Hersinta says that patience is key to raising a child when parent-child communication is compromised. (Courtesy of Hersinta Suroso) (Courtesy of Hersinta Suroso/Courtesy of Hersinta Suroso)
P
eople who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can find navigating life in Indonesia to be more difficult than other adults, as some individuals with the condition and their parents have shared.
“My classmates would often clap or cheer at me in a derogatory way whenever I did something. I was often bullied, which is hard to forget,” a 21-year-old law student from Jakarta, who asked to use the pseudonym Dimas, told The Jakarta Post, describing the challenges he faced as a child. Dimas was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of 3.
“Even these days, I’m super cautious when choosing who to trust. When I’m socializing, I always suppress my autistic traits to prevent others from labeling me as a ‘weirdo’,” he saidc.
Like Dimas, Bayu Dwityo Wicaksono was diagnosed with ASD, but his diagnosis came just this August as a 31-year-old.
“I always wondered if there was something different [about] me. I believed I could function normally, but whenever a trigger distracted me, I would have a headache,” said Bayu.
In its article to mark World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2018, the Health Ministry notes that 2.4 million Indonesians are born with ASD and 500 new diagnoses are recorded each year.
Maisie Soetantyo, a 52-year-old family therapist and inclusivity trainer who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and works with clients in both the United States and Indonesia, said the actual figure could be higher.
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