At the Asia-Pacific Autism Conference 2025 in Perth, Australia (#APAC2025), I sought to be my profoundly autistic son's voice in highlighting the need to respect his profound neurodivergence. This includes recognizing that his nonverbal communication is his native language — expressing his emotions with his body, rather than his words. This expression is integral to his nature. We need to level our communication playing field to connect with them authentically and help allev

...profoundly autistic individuals, like Sebastien, are true to their emotions. They wear their hearts on their sleeves. They bear and display the emotional complexity, instead of pretending them away. It is our pretense, our wearing of masks, that drives them crazy. The reality is that we do not understand profoundly autistic individuals. Instead of trying to understand their difference, we just want them to be "easy to control".

Unlike traditional autism treatment approaches, EpiEco is not about normalizing the profoundly autistic individual. Rather, it places the responsibility of change on us — the caregivers (be it specialists, educators, and family) and the public. The focus is on transforming caregivers into a robust Ecosystem of committed champions of the profoundly autistic individual at the Epicenter, hence the name, EpiEco. 

Learn how to connect with your profoundly autistic loved ones with joy, build authentic relationships with them, and alleviate meltdowns. in a FREE Three-Workshop Series in Singapore by Choo Kah Ying (A Mother's Wish, www.amotherswish.com.sg) targeted at Caregivers of Profoundly Autistic Individuals (Limited to No Speech), October 25, Nov 1, 8, SGT 2–5 PM

This video is a validation of our self-formulated EpiEco© — the Non-Verbal Autistic Individual as the Epicenter of the Ecosystem. This approach prioritises the emotional wellness of the NVA by acknowledging their distinctive autistic functioning, which impacts how they experience our world and the way they communicate and socialise. Moreover, it highlights that we have been building and sustaining an Ecosystem that caters to the interests and well-being of Sebastien who is it

Positive change comes when we place the autistic individual as the EpiCenter of the Ecosystem of Care (A Mother’s Wish’s EpiEco). 

Amidst a wonderful holiday, Sebastien, my autistic son, smacked my face and head so hard and so fast 3–4 times that I never saw it coming.

That’s why we developed EpiEco (Autistic Individual as the EPIcenter of the ECOsystem) -- an approach that is responsive to autistic persons

When I posted the video of Sebastien, my autistic son, sitting on a swing near a waterfall, I hadn't known that its idyllic quality would...

Autism and anxiety — Finding reprieve in water and nature