Hong Kong father steps up to become autistic daughter’s mediator, mentor, coach and hero
- ‘I am stubborn and get emotional easily, but my dad treats me with great patience and tolerance,’ says 24-year-old
- Yuki Chan has gone from being frustrated child to young woman who runs marathons and contributes to family’s finances
Hongkonger Yuki Chan Ka-man was 24 when she was diagnosed with autism, and that finally explained the obstacles she faced as a child and in school, and her clashes with her mother.
It was her father, Steven Chan Yiu-man, 63, who made the difference, stepping in as mediator between mother and daughter, being the girl’s mentor and even her running coach.
Ka-man, now 29 and working full-time as an activity assistant at a care centre for children with special education needs, said: “I know it has been difficult to bring up an autistic child like me. I am stubborn and get emotional easily, but my dad treats me with great patience and tolerance.”
Her father recalled that when she was seven years old, there were frequent angry spats between the girl and her mother, and he had to step in.
“When Ka-man started school, she could not write or even hold a pen properly, and her mother often scolded her,” he said.
