'Dad and me' Kim Jung-tae and his wife Jeon Yeo-jin discussed concerns about their eldest son Jihoo and the bravery of their second child Sihyun.
On the 8th episode of TV CHOSUN's 'Dad and me' (hereafter 'Dad and me'), the couple's son Jihoo, who had become a topic of conversation, appeared. Jun Hyun-moo said, "Yakkungi, Jihoo studying became a hot topic," and Han Hye-jin marveled, "The YouTube views exceeded 2.98 million. There was a comment saying you could really send him to the U.S., you really could send him," expressing admiration.
Jihoo, perhaps because he resembles his mother, a professor of architecture, likes studying and wants to work in coding, but Kim Jung-tae and his wife had concerns. They suspected Asperger's syndrome based on some of Jihoo's characteristics. They were also worried because the high school Jihoo will soon attend is a boarding school, meaning the family cannot spend some time together.
Kim Jung-tae's wife revealed her feelings, saying, "First, I was worried that Jihoo would be upset if he received an Asperger's diagnosis, and that it might be more serious than I think." Kim Jung-tae emphasized finding a solution, saying, "I also feel that my son has Asperger's. But what can we do? We should talk with the teacher."
While Jihoo was taking the test, the couple talked. Kim Jung-tae emphasized 'social skills,' saying, "When Jihoo goes to high school he will be in a boarding dormitory, two to a room, and I hope there are no unnecessary troubles. He needs to give in and make sacrifices." Kim Jung-tae's wife said, "I'm worried Jihoo will sacrifice and yield too much," and recounted, "Once Jihoo was playing a badminton game, and because he won, a friend threw a racket at him. Jihoo just stood still, so Sihyun ran over and angrily said, 'Why did you throw it at my brother?' "
Kim Jung-tae said, "I heard about that incident that day, but I always role-play with Jihoo, saying 'In this situation you do this,' " and added, "We have done role-play for those situations before." Kim Jung-tae's wife said, "The younger brother Sihyun, who is loyal, wrote curse words on paper the next day for his brother who doesn't know swear words, telling him 'Words you shouldn't use with friends,' " adding that the loyal younger brother was brave in looking after his older brother.
Jihoo was diagnosed with 'mild Asperger's syndrome' after test results showed cognitive function using visual information in the top 0.5% and verbal intelligence in the bottom 14%. The doctor said, "He is better at logic than memorization. Things he needs to memorize may be better understood if they are presented as numbers or images," and advised, "Continue the role-play you are doing at home more consistently."
In response, Kim Jung-tae's wife asked about solutions, saying, "Jihoo has an animated object he likes, and when you talk about that story he gets excited and becomes completely absorbed," The doctor said, "At that time, record a video once and show it to the child so you can point out what the family members are doing and what he is doing. And show gestures or facial expressions to indicate that doing that means 'I don't like it,' " adding, "You have to teach lines and actions. Go one step further than just saying stop or doing it like this," and Jihoo, saying "I learned my strengths and weaknesses," rather relaxed and hugged his family.
[Photo] TV CHOSUN 'Dad and me'
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