Saturday, April 21, 2007

Cho Seung-Hui an untreated autistic?

The UK's Daily Mirror reports that Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui was diagnosed as autistic at an early age but his parent did not have "the time or money" to get him specialist help.

Yang-Sun [sister of Cho's grandfather] revealed the eight-year-old was diagnosed as autistic soon after his family emigrated to the US.

She said: "He was very quiet and only followed his mother and father around and when others called his name he just answered yes or no but never showed any feelings or motions.

"We started to worry that he was autistic - that was the big concern of his mother. He was even a loner as a child.

"Soon after they got to America his mother was so worried about his inability to talk she took him to hospital and he was diagnosed as autistic."


It wouldn't surprise me if, in a Chinese or Asian family, a mental problem was brushed under the carpet or not given much attention as these things are often not taken seriously. Meanwhile, the Cho family have made a moving statement about the Virginia shootings and how they are trying to cope in its aftermath.

The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told The Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence." "He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf.

"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 Princeton University graduate who works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees American aid for Iraq.

"We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are changed forever because of what they witnessed and experienced," she said. "Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

His action has nothing to do with autism. He exhibited autistic-like syndrome, but that is not the same.

Anonymous said...

Over here, the media intimated that Cho was a product of his 'environment'.

burntbreadboy said...

I did read one report that described how classmates used to laugh at him when he tried to read English aloud.