Hope for Every Child

When 3-year-old Bao was diagnosed with autism, his parents were sad and didn’t know how they could help him. He started attending the Holt-supported Kianh Foundation — a special school for children with disabilities in Vietnam — and finally received the specialized therapy and education he needed. Now, he and his families’ lives are changed forever.

Something was different about Bao. “Wrong” – the neighbors told his parents. At 3 years old, he didn’t talk, he would throw objects across the house, bang his head against the wall, and wasn’t even close to being potty trained.

“Every child is different,” his mom, Mai, reasoned. “Some develop quickly, and others slowly.” Just because Bao was different than his older sister didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong. But then her husband, Tuan, began to wonder if their son was different, too…

Each night, Tuan read to Bao. But Bao still didn’t respond and learn the way Tuan expected. Tuan wondered if Bao had autism — and began to read and learn more about the condition — but Mai was unconvinced.

“I did not accept it,” Mai says. “I had no idea what autism was at the time.”

They took Bao to a doctor for a checkup, and he was diagnosed with developmental delays. About a year later, he received an official autism diagnosis. 

“I just felt very, very sad,” Mai says.

When he turned 5, they enrolled Bao in the mainstream kindergarten that other children in their neighborhood attended. Within a few months, they tried three different schools, and each one was the same.

At each school, Bao just sat in the corner holding his backpack and wouldn’t move. At lunchtime he wouldn’t eat.

“We decided not to send him to school anymore,” Mai says. “We were very sad and thought there was nothing we could do for him.”

Bao couldn’t go to school. At home, Mai and Tuan didn’t know how to help him either. His behavior was uncontrollable. He kept harming himself by banging his head, and sometimes he would jump and jump, seemingly unable to stop. They couldn’t really leave the house with Bao anymore.

“We decided not to send him to school anymore. We were very sad and thought there was nothing we could do for him.”

As a family, they felt hopeless. Stuck.

But thankfully, there was a place that could help Bao. A place he would be understood, and receive the exact help he needed. This place was the Kianh Foundation.

The Kianh Foundation

The Kianh Foundation is down an unassuming rural road on the outskirts of a thriving fishing village and popular tourist destination in Vietnam. Surrounded by farmland, it’s gates open to reveal a vibrant playground in the courtyard with accessibility ramps leading up to the building. As you walk down the open-air hallway that traces the building’s perimeter, children’s artwork covers the walls, and music wafts out of the large classrooms.

Inside, teachers sit on the floor, many of them working one on one with students. Children in one classroom sing and dance to a song with enthusiastic full-body motions. In another, children sit at different stations — buckling motorbike helmets, brushing and styling dolls’ hair, and tying shoes. Children range in age from early elementary schoolers to older teenagers, but they’re divided into classrooms based on ability, not age.

Children and their teachers alike are smiling and calm. And every child here has a disability. 

Disability in Hoi An

The Kianh Foundation is a school for children with disabilities located on the 17^th parallel, the dividing line of conflict between north and south Vietnam in the Vietnam-American War. What makes this even more significant and relevant is that this area was a hot spot for Agent Orange, the chemical herbicide used by the U.S. during the war, now known to cause devastating health issues and birth defects.

Disability is about 15 to 20 percent higher here than in other parts of Vietnam, yet there are still so few services for children and adults with special needs. In Vietnam, the government provides some resources to children and adults with disabilities — but they don’t stretch very far. Many parents, especially those living in impoverished communities, are not familiar with many disabilities, especially ones like autism.

The Kianh Foundation is the only school of its kind in the entire province. There’s room for 80 students at the school, but the waiting list stretches to over 200. And the reality for the children who can’t attend here is heartbreaking.

Without the specialized therapy and education to help them engage in society, a child with disabilities — who grows up to be an adult with disabilities — rarely leaves their home. Unable to control their body or emotions, there’s no way they can leave. They are often locked in a room all day in an attempt to keep them contained and safe. But it ends up causing even more damage to their development.

“This is the best choice for them.”

Some parents attempt to take their child to mainstream schools, but with class sizes of 30-50 students, the teachers simply can’t provide the individual time and attention they need. Especially if a child has never learned to communicate or control their behaviors, it’s impossible to learn.

“This is the best choice for them,” says Hoang Pham, program development director at the Kianh Foundation.

A School for Children with Disabilities

The children at Kianh have many different conditions.

Some use walkers or wheelchairs due to cerebral palsy. Many have Down syndrome, or other congenital disabilities that affect their physical or emotional development. “But the most challenging is autism,” Hoang says.

He remembers one specific child with autism who came here after a traumatic experience at a mainstream school.

“The first time he came here, we did the assessment at the gate because he didn’t want to come in,” Hoang says. Every day, this child would come to school, but no farther than the playground. His father or mother stayed at school with him each day, and a teacher worked with him on the playground.

“For about six or seven months, he was outside the classroom,” Hoang says. Finally, once the child was familiar with his teacher, he came inside. The teachers began working to help him communicate, with help from a book of pictures that taught him to associate pictures with different words. Little by little, he began to learn.

Because of support from Holt sponsors and donors, ordinary families can afford to send their children to Kianh Foundation — even those living in poverty. Fees are based on each family’s ability, with some paying just $10 a month. The staff has found that a financial investment, even if it’s small, helps families be invested and engaged.

It’s clear why so many parents want their children to come here. The school is cheerful and bright, playful feeling, but it’s also state of the art. There’s a fully equipped physical therapy room, toys and art supplies, nutritious daily meals in the cafeteria, and special events and activities that the children enjoy. The lessons are very focused on life skills, and as the children age and develop, some even begin vocational training such as sewing, housekeeping or gardening – skills that could help them earn an income in the nearby tourist area. But what makes the most difference is the nurturing care and expertise of the staff — teachers, physical and occupational therapists, and experts in the field of special education.

But for a child to have the best success, the family has to engage, too.  

Learning for the Whole Family

“Especially at the beginning, we try to integrate the family first,” Hoang says. “Step by step, we figure out the individual parent and child. We don’t focus on formal or general training for the parent, but we focus on helping them with their kid only.”

In the beginning, it’s not uncommon for the teacher to have daily check-ins with the parents after school to discuss their child’s progress and train the parents on what to work on at home.

“Funded by Holt sponsors and donors, this program taught them about their son’s condition — and what he was experiencing in his interior world.”

When Bao enrolled at Kianh, so did his parents. At the time, there were no spots open at the school for him. So instead, his family joined a special community program where they could learn how to help Bao.

Funded by Holt sponsors and donors, this program taught them about their son’s condition — and what he was experiencing in his interior world.

“The first thing is the knowledge about what autism is and what the children with autism are like,” Tuan, Bao’s father, shares. “Many parents didn’t know about that before.” He remembers a specific example that helped both him and other parents of children with autism understand.

“For example, looking at a banana, we don’t know what it looks like in the eyes of a child with autism,” Tuan says. “Many people look at the banana, but it’s just a banana. But in the eyes of the children with autism, it’s different.”

For the first time, Mai and Tuan learned to understand their son.

When Bao was 5 years old, an in-person spot opened up at the Kianh Foundation. This is when everything really began to change for him.

Bao began to learn how to communicate using a booklet of pictures. The teachers also helped him learn how to use the toilet. And as Bao learned new skills, so did his parents.

“It’s very important that I learn what the teacher trains my child [to do],” his mom, Mai, says, explaining why she works closely with his teachers. “Then I can train him exactly the same as the teacher trains him.”

Finally able to communicate, Bao was so much less frustrated and began to act more calm and happy — at school, and at home.

Bao at Home

Bao’s home is a couple of streets off the main road – where it quickly turns from bustling businesses and car exhaust to expansive rice paddies and wide banana leaves that overhang the path.

It used to be very difficult for Bao to have visitors come to his home. Because of his sensory issues, any extra noise was very difficult for him to tolerate. But today, it is no problem for visitors to stop by. He has improved so much.

Bao is now 8 years old, and he’s been attending the Kianh Foundation for three years. He knows how to use the toilet, get dressed, and even follow instructions like retrieving bottles of milk from the fridge.

Their house has two rooms, and the main room in the front has a large, wood-look foam mat that the family sits on. Bao walks from the back room and comes to sit with his mom. He brings his communication book, and points to different pictures to show what he wants. He’s hungry — his mom hands him a plate of food. He flips to another page in his book and points to a picture of a salt shaker. His mom sprinkles the salt on his food. She’s beaming. His progress is incredible, and she’s so proud.

“His improvement is very meaningful to us. I want to thank the [Holt] donors and the sponsors very much, because the Kianh Foundation is the right place that we can send our son.”

One of the biggest changes they’ve made since Bao began attending Kianh is talking more with him at home. Mai says she never knew if he understood her, and had assumed it didn’t make a difference how much she spoke with him.

“I’m not sure how much he understands now,” she says. “But I know he likes it. Now I talk to him a lot.”

Like every child at the Kianh Foundation, the goal for Bao is as much independence as possible. To be able to engage with his family, with his neighbors and in his community. And his progress means life-change for the entire family.

“His improvement is very meaningful to us,” Mai says. “I want to thank the [Holt] donors and the sponsors very much, because the Kianh Foundation is the right place that we can send our son. They train my son with all the skills he needs. I just want to say thank you so much for everything that my son receives from Kianh Foundation.”

Helping More Children

Back at the Kianh Foundation, it’s an ordinary Tuesday as children learn and play in their classrooms. But from the courtyard, a child is yelling. He’s not hurt or in pain, he’s perfectly safe. He’s just new. His one-on-one teacher follows him around the playground, expertly engaging with him to calm down.

The yells don’t phase the other teachers or staff. But when he’s especially loud, a couple of them exchange a knowing glance, and a calm and knowing smile. This is how so many of the children here started out, but they know the potential for progress that each child has. There’s hope for every child, because of this special place.