Despite autism, S’porean youth is a 6-time bowling champion who plays the piano & does sand art

Chalmers Wong loves the sea, enjoys watching videos and listening to music on YouTube, just like most other 19-year-old teenagers.

But Wong is not your average teen.

In 2019, he was awarded the first Goh Chok Tong Enable Award at the tender age of 14, and was the youngest awardee of the lot.

Wong also won several bowling championships, three of which were from the Singapore National Games in 2016, 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Yet, this journey to victory has been far from breezy for Wong.

Not bowing to circumstances

When he was just 18 months old, Wong was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism.

With severe auditory processing difficulties, this meant that Wong could neither strike up meaningful conversations nor respond to simple questions without guidance.

Despite this, Wong and his mother were not ones to bow down to circumstance.

When Wong was younger, his mother struggled to identify his strengths.

However, she was driven by the belief that every special needs child possesses unique gifts, and embarked on a journey to discover Wong’s talents.

As such Wong was exposed to a variety of activities such as arts, music, swimming, horse-riding and many others.

Thankfully, the endeavours yielded positive results.

Of music and perfect pitch

It was evident that Wong was interested in the piano as it was noticed that playing piano was the only hobby he would take the initiative to partake in during his free time.

His mother expressed her gratitude to his former piano teacher for pointing out that he had perfect pitch.

Currently, Wong is learning piano pieces on his own through online piano lessons due to budget constraints.

He has since learnt a repertoire of songs, ranging from classical to pop, and even gospel music.

He is currently enrolled into Extra•Ordinary People’s transformative vocational art programmes, “The Extraordinary Campus” and “Creative Lab”, with a music scholarship awaiting him next year.

Of sports and against all odds

When it came to sports, there was one that truly captured the hearts of this mother-son duo – bowling.

Amidst the array of sports Wong explored during his formative years, he remained steadfast in his pursuit of bowling.

That unwavering determination paid off, as Wong not only participated in various bowling competitions but also emerged victorious, proudly clinching six championships to his name.

To Wong’s mother, each victory of Wong’s was not simply another win, but one that demonstrated his grit.

“Most importantly, he’s winning against all odds and all the people who didn’t believe he could do it.”

Witnessing Wong’s wins made her feel fulfilled.

Of the arts and mastering techniques

Wong is currently making strides in sand art.

Sand and flour were first introduced to him as part of his therapeutic activities to overcome his sensory processing challenges.

Upon realising that sand art appealed to Wong, his mother tried finding a suitable sand art teacher.

When the search proved fruitless, she decided to sign up for a crash course to learn basic sand art techniques and double up as Wong’s sand art teacher instead.

However, this process was not without challenges.

Forming straight lines with sand might seem easy to others, but for Wong, it was in fact one of the hardest techniques to grasp.

This was a steep challenge for him as he was unable to control the sand easily.

With constant encouragement from his family, coupled with Wong’s relentless and persevering spirit, he eventually mastered the technique.

Having sand art as a form of expression for Wong helped reduce the frequency of his meltdowns.

When asked about his favourite sand art, Wong shared that it was “What A Wonderful World,” a commissioned piece by City Development Limited which he created during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While creativity may not be Wong’s forte, he shared that he is still able to use his skills deftly to convey his personal style.

In fact, Wong will be participating in this year’s Community Chest Charity TV Show, and will be partnering Richie Koh to create a sand art piece together.

As Wong’s ties with Community Chest run deep, this collaborative performance is all the more meaningful to him.

Wong is a graduate of Grace Orchard School, a special education school funded by the Community Chest, which caters to individuals diagnosed with mild intellectual disability and mild autism spectrum disorder.

Community Chest is the philanthropy and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service.

Wong’s performance with Koh will be one of the key highlights of the Charity TV show, held as part of Community Chest’s 40th anniversary celebrations this year.

Wong took half a day to grasp the concept of the performance, and has been continuously fine-tuning it.

That being said, for individuals with autism, fine-tuning a project is an incredibly tough process as they are usually fixated with routines and it is difficult to break out from what has already been done.

But knowing that Wong is one who never shies away from challenges, he is doing his best to practise whenever he can.

Wong makes it a point to continue practising the routine even if there is no one guiding him.

Focus on their abilities, not disabilities

Wong’s endeavour in the arts is not limited to sand art as he paints too.

Observing how Wong is inherently interested in the arts, an online gallery was set up, Special Thots, to showcase his art pieces.

The online gallery was initially created for Wong to earn a living through his artistic talents.

Beyond art pieces, merchandise like apparel, wallets, passport covers and masks were also put up for sale.

However, his mother shared that the online business has not been great and the website now mainly serves to raise awareness.

Yet, all these did not dull their spirits.

Wong’s mother set up Singapore Special Voices and Singapore Special Community to help other special needs youth discover their talents.

“I hope for fairness and equality for Wong and the special needs community, where people focus on their abilities, instead of their disabilities.”

Her unwavering faith in Wong's abilities was nurtured since raising him as a single parent from birth, and has been her constant source of strength and determination.

She understands that her hopes and dreams for her son are shared by countless caregivers facing similar situations.

Acknowledging that challenges confronted by caregivers can be overwhelming, Wong’s mother finds that they deserve all the support that can be offered.

Looking back, she was glad that Extra•Ordinary People extended a helping hand to her and Wong, providing her with essential assistance and the necessary resources to navigate the intricate decisions she encountered.

She added that Extra•Ordinary People did all that while reminding her the importance of self-care.

Finding hope

Wong’s current enrollment in “The Extraordinary Campus” programme aims to equip him with essential living skills and vocational training that will allow him to explore and discover potential vocational pathways for his future employment.

Wong’s mother hopes he is able to pursue his dreams in the arts, bowling, and music.

On their journey, the mother-son pair shared that they hope for their story to serve as a beacon of inspiration and a testament to resilience for others.

By sharing it with the broader community, she aspires for it to ignite hope and encouragement in others on their own unique journeys.

Catch Wong’s sand art performance with Koh at the Charity TV show – Uniting Hearts 2023 on Sep. 24, 7pm to 10pm, broadcast live on Mediacorp’s Channel 8.

Their performance will be one of the many performances that exemplify Community Chest’s commitment to empowering those in need to achieve their potential, despite the challenges they face.

Other programme highlights will showcase the different ways corporates and community partners have collaborated with Community Chest to give back to the community.

Click here for more information about Community Chest.

This sponsored article by the Community Chest made this writer set aside her time for the show on Sep. 24, 7pm to 10pm.

Cover photo courtesy of Chalmers Wong.