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A Wonderful Life with a dyslexic son
The cover of Amaliaâs book Wonderful Life, which contains Aqilâs paintings
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The cover of Amaliaâs book Wonderful Life, which contains Aqilâs paintings." border="0" height="480" width="340">The cover of Amaliaâs book Wonderful Life, which contains Aqilâs paintings.Given the choice, no parent would wish for their child to have dyslexia, and Amalia Prabowo is no different.
However, throughout her book, Wonderful Life, she tells of how her dyslexic son has not ruined her life, but instead made her a better woman.
The book aims to motivate other parents of children with dyslexia not to give up taking care of them, as she once did with her 10-year-old son, Aqillurachman âAqilâ Prabowo.
Amalia recalls when in 2010 a teacher from a prominent elementary school in South Jakarta told her that Aqil, then six years old, could not continue his study at a higher level as he could not yet read, write or count.
âAt that time, I thought that Aqil was left behind at school because he was lazy,â she said.
After taking her son to psychologist and neurologist, she was shocked after being told that Aqil suffered from dyslexia, a disorder that makes it difficult for the brain to properly recognize and process certain symbols.
The psychologist told Amalia that she did not need to despair, as many dyslexic children still excel in non-academic pursuits, such as the arts and sports.
In a bid to improve the power of his brain, Aqil was instructed by his doctor to draw as many circles as he could on a piece of paper.
Amalia was stunned by Aqilâs artworks. She then scanned and uploaded them to her Facebook, Instagram and Path accounts.
The cover of Amalia's book Wonderful Life, which contains Aqil's paintings. Given the choice, no parent would wish for their child to have dyslexia, and Amalia Prabowo is no different. However, throughout her book, Wonderful Life, she tells of how her dyslexic son has not ruined her life, but instead made her a better woman. At first, Amalia thought that Aqil's imagination was absurd, but after she forced herself to understand him, she found that she could enter his world, a different space which contained more fun and joy. Therefore, she hopes that sharing her experiences will make other parents more aware of the possibility that their child could have the disorder if he or she is incapable of writing, reading or pronunciation at a standard level for their age. 
The book aims to motivate other parents of children with dyslexia not to give up taking care of them, as she once did with her 10-year-old son, Aqillurachman 'Aqil' Prabowo.
Amalia recalls when in 2010 a teacher from a prominent elementary school in South Jakarta told her that Aqil, then six years old, could not continue his study at a higher level as he could not yet read, write or count.
'At that time, I thought that Aqil was left behind at school because he was lazy,' she said.
After taking her son to psychologist and neurologist, she was shocked after being told that Aqil suffered from dyslexia, a disorder that makes it difficult for the brain to properly recognize and process certain symbols.
The psychologist told Amalia that she did not need to despair, as many dyslexic children still excel in non-academic pursuits, such as the arts and sports.
In a bid to improve the power of his brain, Aqil was instructed by his doctor to draw as many circles as he could on a piece of paper.
Amalia was stunned by Aqil's artworks. She then scanned and uploaded them to her Facebook, Instagram and Path accounts.
Surprisingly, the paintings received kudos from Amalia's online followers, including Jakarta Do Art Community founder Handoko Hendroyono, who said that Aqil's paintings were unique and interesting.
Handoko, a long-time promoter of local artists, decided to team up with Aqil. In 2013, he used Aqil's paintings to decorate his products, such as bags, shoes and chairs.
Such appreciation made Amalia realize that Aqil had a real talent for painting and that he had the potential to become a professional painter like Pablo Picasso, who also had dyslexia.
Along with Do Art, she helped organize Aqil's first art exhibition, entitled Art with Heart, at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town in Central Jakarta last year.
Amalia has held four exhibitions featuring Aqil's work, one of them at Mount Pancar Nature Reserve in Bogor, West Java, intended to encourage urbanites to leave the hustle and bustle of Jakarta and enjoy nature. It was claimed to be the country's first art exhibition in a forest.
She said that she chose the forest because it's the place where her son often goes hiking as therapy to improve his concentration.
In the forest, Aqil encouraged his mother to enter his imagination, something new to Amalia, the CEO of Havas Worldwide Jakarta, who usually uses logic to understand the world.
'Aqil told me, 'Mom, please stop. Those mushrooms want to chat with my shoes ['¦] don't step on the leaves, their bacteria are still meeting,'' Amalia said.
While accompanying Aqil hiking, Amalia was forced to not only experience the dust under the stinging sun, but also to meet and interact with poor people, something rare for Amalia, who was raised in a rich family in Malang, East Java.
Such experiences made Amalia realize that her difficulties raising Aqil were minor compared to the lives of the poor.
'Aqil has made me more down-to-earth and wiser. In facing life, my heart is now more dominant than my brain. I listen more than I talk,' she said.
Amalia said that many people were still not familiar with the clinically recognized disorder. They also tended to underestimate its prevalence because the disorder has no visible symptoms. 
She said that these shortcomings usually affect a child's self-confidence, making them feel isolated from others.
To help develop their self-confidence, parents should help dyslexic children find their unique talents. 'I once thought that Aqil's talent was playing badminton, not painting. Parents should be very patient to find [a child's] talents because it is not easy.'
Amalia said that holding art exhibitions and publishing her book were additional efforts to boost
Aqil's confidence.
She said that dyslexia was like an adventure that was embarked upon, not only by the children, but also by their parents.
She recalls advice given to her by a psychologist, who said that with diagnoses of dyslexia, it is the parents, not the children, who must be cured first.
Amalia reveals that she needed six months to fully accept the reality that Aqil would not attain the academic achievement that her and other family members expected of him.
'Finally, I understand that education should be defined in a wider context. In our country, it is still designed only for psychologically normal individuals. It does not accommodate the talents of children who have special needs,' she said.
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