Several months ago, I came across research that found people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a greater risk for depression and suicide. In the study that used a Danish population-based sample of more than 6.5 million people spanning over 10 years, the rates of suicide attempts and deaths were three times higher for people with autism than the general population (Kõlves et al., 2021). It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was horrifying.

Some may say it is just a number, but to me, it takes on different meanings. A statistic is no longer a number when you teach children with developmental disabilities, when you interact, play with them, and see them grow every day. That together with the fact that I have not met many adults with disabilities in everyday life made me wonder what is in store for my students. Will they be okay? Will they be happy? Will they find joy in life? Will they be able to socialize? Will they be able to stand on their own? Will they go to schools and colleges or stay at home? Will they find their life meaningful or resent their existence?

Some people have the idea that people with autism are gifted, geniuses even. Some indeed show remarkable focus and persistence, attention to detail, and an aptitude for recognizing patterns. Those people become famous mathematicians, scientists, authors, movie directors, singers, and so on. However, they only account for part of people on the spectrum.

ASD is divided into three levels ranging from mild to severe level of ASD. People at level 1, the mildest level of ASD, can function in society without much assistance. They are who many people think of when they are asked about people with ASD. People at levels 2 and 3 require more substantial support. Those are the groups that are hidden behind a curtain, only known to their family members, and special education teachers.

One of my students has challenging behaviors such as hitting himself, banging his head to the wall, crying at the top of his lung, and spitting at others when he feels dissatisfied with something. He enjoys being by himself and playing with objects. He is preoccupied with scratching things, flipping light switches, and watching spinning fans. At the age of 7, he is non-verbal and has communicated his needs mostly through pulling people’s arms and putting them on the item he wants. I would be lying if I said I was not worried about his capability to cope with the demands of growing up.[1]

With the questions of the future for children with developmental disabilities in mind, I visited Imago Work. Imago Work is a social enterprise that provides life skills, vocational training, and job placement assistance for people with disabilities in Vietnam.

July 1 was the last day of their one-year training program for people with disabilities. Students would be serving beverages to customers from 9:30 to 11:30 AM.

I was welcomed by Michelle, the director of Imago Work, who introduced me to her staff, students, and their parents. She spent time sharing with me the reasons she founded the organization, her vision, and what Imago Work does.

During our conversation, a student came to ask for my order. He spoke in a soft voice and sometimes slurred his words. He seemed a bit nervous and so was I. Should I speak at my usual pace or should I slow down? Should I ask for clarification since I could not hear him clearly or should I just nod agreeing with everything he said? In the end, I decided to just speak in the normal manner and asked for him to repeat what he said. I did not understand it at the time, but now I guess I believed he would be able to deal with the situation. Possibly it was also what Michelle thought. I was somewhat expecting she would intervene and help with the order, but she did not. Just a small act like that showed how much she trusts his capability to tackle the situation. Every student needs room to wiggle, trying different ways of doing things, and learns her lessons. It takes a great teacher to step back and not interfere with her student’s learning.

Later I met Morgan, a special education specialist. She is developing the curriculum and training teachers at Imago Work. She is also working as a consultant for schools in Hanoi. She explained to me what they were teaching at Imago Work, the requirements to join the course, the schedule of the class, her experience of working here, and some of the challenges facing the students. She mentioned one point that was of great value to me. That a student wants to be independent is not enough, her family must also wish for the same.

It is not unusual to see parents of those with disabilities go overboard to assist them. They fear their children will get hurt and/or be ridiculed, so they take it upon themselves to see through everything their children do. Some may say there are children who need substantial support from others and they may not want to be independent at all. It would be comforting for them to rely on their family. It is probably correct in some cases, but then they need to be given chances to test their limits first. They need to be empowered to try and see for themselves how much freedom they want, and how far they want to go on this path. In the end, I think all parents want their children to be happy and they try their best in their own ways. Setting one’s fears aside, sitting back and observing the children in action is one of the ways.

Unfortunately, I did not spend much time talking with the students and teachers here. They were busy taking orders, making and serving drinks. There were three students and two teachers helping them at the time. The atmosphere in the kitchen was vastly different from a normal scene at a coffee bar where everything is executed quickly and there is constant chatter. It was almost serene with the students prudent in every step and teachers guiding them in a gentle voice. From measuring ground coffee and water to adding ice cubs to coffee, the students did things at a deliberate pace. I had been so used to children running around making all kinds of sounds, so it was a refreshing experience.

I have not been able to come up with an answer to the question of what the future for my students and other people with developmental disabilities will be like. The visit to Imago Work, however, opened up different possibilities. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace and no one can assure a bright future for everyone. Nevertheless, we can always show them love, give them the wings of independence, and equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge for an uncertain tomorrow.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Kõlves, K., Fitzgerald, C., Nordentoft, M., Wood, S.J., & Erlangsen, A. Assessment of suicidal behaviors among individuals with autism spectrum disorder in Denmark. JAMA Network Open. 2021;4(1):e2033565. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.33565

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html. Accessed July 6, 2021.