Mum moved by ICA officer's kindness towards her son with autism at Woodlands Checkpoint
A mother of a child with autism is grateful for the kindness and attentiveness displayed by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Stomp was alerted to a post by Facebook user Lydiawati MZ who shared that she and her husband were returning to Singapore from Johor Bahru by bus on Oct 20 with their teenage son, Muaz, who has autism.
Lydiawati shared that her family usually travel by train but decided to try the bus route this time.
They arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint at about 11.45am and Lydiawati decided to let Muaz try using the automated immigration lane for the first time, adding that they would usually use the manual lane when travelling by train.
"Before entering the lane, I reminded Muaz to look at the camera and put his thumb," she wrote.
"When it was his turn, he went in the gantry, looked at the camera and I saw the ✅ on the screen.
"Eh? He can! 😳 It was fast."
Lydiawati said she was initially worried that Muaz might be told to move along, as passengers are not usually allowed to wait near the automated gates.
However, an ICA officer whom she referred to as Ms Khairiah immediately stepped forward to guide and reassure Muaz.
"She gently told Muaz to stand by her side and wait for me," said Lydiawati, who cleared immigration in under two minutes.
She believes the officer noticed Muaz's 'special needs signs', including his green sunflower lanyard, a tag stating 'I have autism' and the earmuffs he was wearing in the arrival hall.
The green sunflower lanyard is a globally recognised symbol used to discreetly indicate that the wearer has an invisible disability, such as autism, ADHD, or anxiety.
"I would like to commend officer Ms Khairiah for facilitating our exit at Woodlands Checkpoint bus arrival hall," Lydiawati wrote.
"[She] was quick enough to notice my son's autism signs and took the initiative to get my son to wait for me beside her.
"It was a quick and smooth exit. Appreciate the thoughtful effort. Thank you!"
She also shared a word of encouragement for other parents of children with autism: "We constantly need to assess the situation, environment and our child's mood or behaviour before attempting something new. Stay strong."
