"The only way to get everyone comfortable is by being as open as possible." – Minway Chi
Minway Chi, a father of a 9-year-old neurodiverse child and General Manager at Golden M, a jewelry manufacturer and partner of Bootleggers Group, a spirits producer and distributor, shares his family’s journey navigating diagnoses, therapy, schooling, and everyday life in Thailand. In this honest conversation, he reflects on early signs, hard decisions, family dynamics, and the realities and hope of raising a neurodiverse child with care, persistence, and advocacy.
What are some of the conditions that your kid has? What kinds of signs did you notice early on that made you think your kid might need some extra help?
Declan has sensory processing issues and borderline autism spectrum disorder, but we believe there is ADHD and Dyscalculia as well. We noticed signs early on… so we began getting help.
Then Covid hit, and everything closed. That was the worst. Seeing him not able to keep up with the rest of his class and not being able to find the help that we needed. When Covid began relaxing, we brought Declan in for a developmental check-up. At five years old, he was developmentally at two to three years old, and the doctor said he would be developmentally stunted for the rest of his life.
Cherry [Minway’s wife and Declan’s mother] and I could not accept that, so we doubled down on building the group of therapists he has today, enrolling him in an international school with a shadow teacher and adding speech therapy, occupational therapy, gymnastics and swimming to support his development.
Does bilingualism play a role in him talking late?
For Declan, we thought it did in the beginning when he was not verbal, listening to everyone around us that it was confusing him. However, we came to realise that there were deeper issues.
Besides speech, what other early signs should families look for?
All kids develop at different rates, and parents know their children best. Go with your gut, get assessments done, and check with specialists. The earlier you identify and accept an issue, the better.
Our regret is believing Declan’s issues were minor between ages five and six. Only after seeing him fall further behind did we dig deeper, ask more questions, and add more therapy. Even now, balancing his classes as he develops remains an ongoing challenge.
What’s it like raising a neurodiverse kid in Thailand? What kind of advice can you share? What kind of support have you been using or getting?
It’s tough in general. There is limited understanding of neurodiverse kids, even when we realised our son had delays, some people in our own families had a hard time accepting it. The only thing I can recommend is that you know your kids better than anyone else, so you have to be their advocate because they are not able to.
There is support out there but you have to dig to find them, then test and make sure they are the right fit. We have a range of specialists. As he grows, we are adding and taking out classes as needed. Make sure that you find therapists that are as close in location as possible, having a neurodiverse child is a full time job managing and driving.
How do generational parenting styles affect how families respond?
We are lucky to have my in-laws living with us, so there are extra hands to help. It’s been a help but also difficult, since there was very little understanding about developmental issues from that generation. The only way to get everyone comfortable is by being as open as possible.
One thing I have to stress is that while we are there for our children, we cannot forget our spouse. The strain of having a child with developmental needs is difficult, both emotionally and financially. You are not alone – you have a spouse that feels it with you, and you need to take time to be together. Without that strong relationship as the base, it becomes exponentially more difficult.
Is social media helping or confusing parents when it comes to neurodiverse kids?
Social Media has actually been helpful. There are so many parents and neurodiverse adults sharing their experience online that it makes you feel better, that you are not alone and there is a bright future for your child; which at the end of the day is what any parent wants for their child.
If parents are concerned, when and how should they seek assessment?
Begin looking online for centres that fit your location and budget. There are several of them spread around Bangkok. Spend the time and go and speak with the teams, go with your gut and make sure you click with the therapists. What they do with your child has a huge impact, so get to know them.
What hopeful message would you give to parents who have neurodiverse kids?
Every child has some quirk. At the end of the day, you love them and do as much as you can – that’s all you can do. Consistency matters, both financially and time-wise. Development isn’t linear; there will be periods of rapid progress and times when it stalls. When that happens, it’s about checking in with the team and adjusting the next steps.
