Against all odds: Dr Noorhashimah Mohamed Noordin (right) has helped her autistic daughter Wan Jamila Wan Shaiful Bahri, 21, to gain confidence and shine as an accomplished artist. – KK SHAM/The Star
Three exceptional mothers inspire their autistic kids to hone their talents in gardening, music and art
LARGELY unseen and often misunderstood, children on the autism spectrum often have few job opportunities as adults.
In addition to the challenges of raising autistic children, their parents face the monumental task of equipping them for independent life.
One mother, Rohani Jelani, 64, has been training her son Omar Ghani, 29, to live independently.
As an enthusiast herself, she introduced gardening to Omar.
For the past four years, Omar has been living in a double-storey terrace house in Klang on his own, with support staff to help him with his daily chores.
He also makes some money by repacking potting soil and selling it to his neighbours, friends and people he meets.
Rohani introduced gardening to her son, Omar, who now repacks the potting soil which he sells to neighbours and friends. — Photos: KK SHAM, LOW LAY PHON and SHEILA SRI PRIYA/The Star
“Instead of me telling him what to do, Omar works better when others are directing him. We have two support staff who assist him throughout the week.
“One day in the week, I stay at his place and another day, his dad does.
“We have a routine for him, which starts with exercise in the morning. He also cycles around the neighbourhood for about 45 minutes daily.
“He waters his plants and packs soil if there are orders.”
For Rohani, living away from her son allows her to plan his activities better.
Omar also sometimes cooks his own food using the ingredients harvested from his garden.
“I will send him a recipe through email and the support staff will print it for him. He will follow my instructions through the video call and cook,” said Rohani.
Omar showing plants in his garden that have borne fruit such as this bitter gourd. He sometimes cooks his meals using his garden harvests.
He tidies up the house and does most of the house chores, with the guidance of the support staff.
“I reward him with RM4 a week for some of the chores he does, as an incentive, and he uses this money to buy himself treats such as ice cream,” said Rohani.
Omar has a friendly disposition and during his weekly bowling outings with other families, he often approaches the mothers to sell his packed potting soil.
“His motivation is money and he likes to hold the money in his hand after a sale.
“Occasionally, I bring him to the bank and teach him how to deposit the money, then he holds on to the banking slip,” said Rohani.
Although it had been financially taxing for her, she bought Omar a house for him to live independently. She feels this is an important investment for him.
“I have two other children and they are university graduates. We invested in their education, too.
Jean peels anchovies almost daily and with help from her mother, she sells it for a small income.
“As for Omar, we have trained him to live independently and do something to make a living.”
Parents will eventually die and it is important that special children are guided to live independently before that happens, added Rohani.
Another mother, Tracey Tan said that when her daughter Jean Yap was diagnosed with autism, she constantly worried about the latter’s future.
Jean, now 23, had attended a special school. She has a twin sister who is not on the spectrum.
“As they were growing up, when one of my twins was not reaching her milestones at the same rate as the other, I knew something was amiss,” said Tan.
“I was not keen to send my daughter away from our home in Klang, due to safety concerns,” she said.
When their children reached the age of 17, a group of parents including Tan decided to venture into business where the children were given the task of peeling anchovies.
Jean’s paintings are inspired by Picasso’s art style.
“They were called the A-Team and the business was marketed online. We had good support but the autistic young adults were overwhelmed by the orders and some of their parents preferred to have them employed in offices.
“Jean has continued with the anchovy task and she is still doing it almost every day.
“It has given her independence and on a good day, she can pack about 1kg of anchovies.
“My hope for her is to be able to do something useful and make a living from it,” said Tan.
Jean also paints and is inspired by Picasso. Some of her artworks have been sold and one of her paintings had fetched RM600.
Noorhashimah is battling Stage Four cancer but is building an art gallery and museum for her daughter.
Her daily routine starts with her going for a run with her mother before she heads home to peel anchovies. This is followed by drawing or colouring activities.
She also plays the Chinese harp (guzheng) and her lessons are sponsored by a foundation.
Tan said raising young adults with autism came with its share of challenges, such as dealing with their meltdowns in public spaces.
She said people were quick to judge and this should stop.
Parents of children with autism have often undergone a lot of challenging periods and their efforts to raise their special children should not be undermined, she said.
“I hope people will not judge us. It is best to reserve your advice on how to raise them.
In addition to painting, Jean also plays the Chinese harp.
“Often the parents are doing their best for their children. If you feel like you can help us, then say that you wish to help,” she added.
Dr Noorhashimah Mohamed Noordin is battling Stage Four cancer but she has helped her daughter Wan Jamila Wan Shaiful Bahri, 21, become an accomplished artist.
Jamila was diagnosed with ADHD and autism at the age of four.
Her mother was quick to identify her talent.
She took Jamila from the mainstream schooling system and homeschooled her.
Noorhashimah, a former architect and lecturer, learned how to use acrylic paints and taught her daughter how to paint with them.
Jamila does everything from sketching to painting by herself.
Tan says raising young adults with autism comes with its share of challenges such as the need to deal with meltdowns in public spaces.
She has an art gallery in Section 7, Shah Alam, and goes by the handle “Artjamila” on social media.
Abroad, her artwork has been displayed at four locations – Vienna and Heidenreichstein Castle in Austria, Munich in Germany, and at the Modern Art Masters in Complex du Louvre International Art Fair in Paris, France last year.
Last year, the young woman’s art pieces were included in a museum art book Art From Leonardo da Vinci to Today published by MAMAG Modern Art Museum in Austria.
This has been among Jamila’s most prestigious accomplishments so far, said Noorhashimah.
“The author of the book, who is an art curator and art critic in Europe, has published on not only the great art masters but also outstanding artists of today. I am very happy that Jamila was included.
“She has created her own unique style. People often ask which university she went to, but she is self-taught.
“I learned how to use acrylic paints from a professional and I taught her how to use these materials, but she’s better at art than I am.
Jamila is a self-taught artist and her artwork has been exhibited internationally.
“She is good at illustrating and painting events. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she would watch all the TV news channels and gather important information including the number of cases.
“She would then interpret the information and paint them. She doesn’t repeat her paintings,” Noorhashimah said.
In 2019, Jamila’s artwork was selected for display at a Merdeka exhibition in Putrajaya.
“It was a proud moment for us. Despite undergoing radiotherapy at that time, I went with Jamila to Putrajaya. I didn’t tell anyone I was undergoing radiotherapy because I wanted to go even though I was in pain.
“When I am out with Jamila, I do not feel tired.
“I need to make sure Jamila is on the right path so that she flourishes before I am no longer around.
“I am glad she is doing well on her own now,” said the proud mother.
Noorhashimah is building an art gallery and museum with nine rooms for Jamila, saying, “so that people can visit, view her paintings and she can continue to make a living through her art after I am gone”.
