Mum praises ICA officer for looking out for 16-year-old son with autism at Woodlands Checkpoint

A mother in Singapore took to Facebook to praise the attentiveness of an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer for ensuring her teenage son with autism did not wander off after going through the automated lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Lydiawati Ismail, 43, extended her thanks and appreciation in an Oct. 21 post.

Returned to Singapore from JB by bus

Together with her husband and son, the family of three travelled back from Johor Bahru to Singapore by bus on Monday, Oct. 20 at around 11:45am.

Lydiawati told Mothership: "We usually go to JB almost every school holiday by KTM train."

For this trip, they could not secure KTM train tickets.

To make the journey home, they opted to take the bus and arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint Arrival Bus Hall.

Anxious about going past immigration

The arrival hall was relatively empty even though it was Deepavali, Lydiawati noted.

But the mother was still anxious about her son making it through immigration on his own.

She said her son is quiet, non-verbal, and does not fall under the high-functioning category on the autism spectrum.

The family made the decision to use the automated lanes instead of the manned counters as it appeared faster.

The automated lanes, also known as self-service e-gates, use biometric technology to clear travellers aged six and above.

Reminded son on what to do

Before entering the automated lane, Lydiawati reminded her son to look at the camera.

She said she was unsure at the time if the automated lanes would work given that the last time they tried it was about a year ago when the family took the bus to Malacca via the Tuas Second Link.

Her son, Muaz, who was wearing earmuffs and a green sunflower lanyard, proceeded to clear the automated gates swiftly, which delighted Lydiawati.

ICA officer noticed the teen

However, as she was behind her son, she could only watch as he made it past immigration by himself and became worried that he would be told to move along as no waiting was allowed in the area.

She was quickly put at ease as she saw a female ICA officer on duty at the time telling Muaz to wait by her side for his mother to reunite with him.

The tiny gesture and tenderness touched Lydiawati, who said: "I believe the officer spotted Muaz’s special needs sign."

She said the officer was "quick enough to notice my son’s autism signs and took initiative to get my son to wait for me beside her"

The tag hanging from Muaz's green sunflower lanyard read: “I Have Autism.”

Message of thanks

In a message of thanks that was subsequently conveyed to the ICA officer, Lydiawati said: "I was amazed by your kind gesture, which some may regard as a small one. But to a parent with a special needs child, like myself, I am beyond grateful."

Lydiawati added:

"Throughout my 16 years managing my son, we have experienced a fair share of good and not-so-good people in public. But watching you take the initiative to get Muaz to wait for me despite the “no waiting” rule near the e-gate exit area, it truly made my day. You’ve made an exception on a case-by-case basis."

The mother said the ICA officer's approach to communicating with a person with special needs was spot on.

The mother added: "I am not sure if you have engaged with someone on the autism spectrum before, but the way you spoke to Muaz — to stand beside you to wait for me, using your gentle voice and small hand gesture — were spot on. That was the most ideal way to communicate to someone on the autism spectrum."

Trained to travel alone to school and home only

Muaz, she added, has been trained to be an independent traveller two years ago to go between home and school without being accompanied by an adult.

The distance covers the east and west of Singapore.

To get anywhere else, the teen has to be accompanied.

ICA officer responds

In response to Mothership's queries, ICA confirmed that its officer Sergeant Khairiah Binte Juma’in had assisted a couple and their son during their immigration clearance at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

ICA added that Khairiah noticed the youth was wearing a special needs lanyard and guided him to stand beside her while waiting for his family members to complete immigration clearance.

"Beyond equipping ICA officers with the fundamental skills to perform secure and smooth checkpoint clearance, ICA also trains our officers to recognise and assist travellers who may encounter difficulties while passing through our checkpoints, including the elderly and those with special needs," ICA said in its statement.

In response to Lydiawati's praise, Khairiah said: "I did not expect to receive a compliment for my gesture, but I am deeply touched and grateful to the youth’s mother for her encouraging words.”

The ICA officer added: “I first noticed the youth when he was trying to clear immigration at the automated lanes. I observed that his mother was trying to help him, and that he was wearing a lanyard. I recognised that this meant he had special needs and instinctively felt that I needed to provide further assistance to the family."

"He responded calmly to my request," she added.

Khairiah also said travellers may approach ICA officers for information and help, and they will render assistance to those in need to lessen their anxiety while maintaining vigilance on the ground.

Top photos via Lydiawati Ismail & ICA