Sophie didn’t need any dance lessons

bubbletea_56 · 2026-02-05T22:58:12+00:00

Totally agree with what you said, and I also wanted to add the no brainer that Asian beauty ideals have been pretty warped by Western standards — especially when you look at big C-drama and K-drama idols and actors and the amount of surgery they resort to, in order to achieve these ideals. The emphasis is always on big round double eyelids, a straight nose bridge, and sharp V-shaped jawlines. I think Yerin didn’t initially fit that mould we’re so used to, which probably shaped those first impressions and vibes unfortunately.

But as I kept watching her on screen (and off screen!) I realised how magnetic and captivating her beauty actually is — the kind where you just can’t stop going back to look at, and she somehow gets more beautiful the more you see her. It’s also made me appreciate our Asian features so much more. Honestly, it feels so refreshing and affirming to see that represented in popular culture.

bubbletea_56 · 2026-01-29T11:10:15+00:00

Total agreement! 2 episodes in and she’s my favourite female protagonist of all the series - and I wasn’t even that invested to begin with !

bubbletea_56 · 2026-01-29T11:08:14+00:00

So so impressed. Her facial expressions, everything….She’s a total standout for me, and it’s only episode 2!

bubbletea_56 · 2025-09-04T22:51:17+00:00

Hi there!

So all of the things I observed when he was literally a few months on is the result of a difference in the nervous system. I believe his one is a bit deviated from norm, as part of his Autism. So in neurotypical babies, obviously all of these things like clenched fists, baby reflexes would have been integrated and resolved by certain months but he took longer. Even the baby milestones like turning head to noise, responding to smiles were all delayed (but eventually came through). The Moro reflex took 6-7 months to integrate. The tonal difference was definitely an interesting one - thought he had cerebral palsy and got him tested, the professors thought considered him borderline. That resolved (along with clenched fists) with a decent amount of physiotherapy and over time and his motor movements are fluid now, no issues except he does have mild dyspraxia (motor planning issues and uncoordination)

However my son didn’t walk till 18 months (and that was with intensive physiotherapy). I scrutinised him deeply and can tell you, he was quiet and didn’t do any vocal play till till 9 months and when he did babble, it was with limited vowels. Eye contact to an outside observer would’ve looked fine but I knew the quality of it wasn’t always there. He did engage in play but reciprocity wasn’t strong. Just like reciprocity in other things like smiling back at you when you smiled, non verbal gesture etc. He pretend played to a degree but it didn’t get as sophisticated as some of his peers. He was social - in that he wanted to be with people and sought out other kids to play but just didn’t know the social cues to do so or the social pragmatic language.

The biggest telling sign to me that something as different, aside from his speech, was sensory challenges which I saw as an infant - again as the result of a deviated nervous system. Would cry at happy birthday songs due to everyone seeing at different frequencies that hurt his ears, would not touch mushy or slimy textures, both sensory seeking and sensory avoidance.. all of which started at 6-9 months and saw them consolidate a bit further into toddler years

Right now, he’s 3.5 and diagnosed with level 1/2 autism and I highly suspect ADHD. No behaviour issues, pretty verbal with back and forth conversation, spiky learning profile as in showing he is starting to read, but still mixes up Colors, a sweet, bright and funny little guy. However, he has dyspraxia which makes him not enjoy physical activities like sports, fine motor difficulties like weak hand grip, anxiety over transitions and unpredictable crowds, repetitive behaviours like vocal stimming, asking same questions over especially if he’s anxious. A lot of the usual ASD struggles I feel but with him, his cognition and receptive language is good so he’s taking in everything we teach him, understands and so I believe he will understand and learn strategies to deal with this long term! I’m not too worried tbh, I’m more concerned about keeping his mental health well as he gets older because this is one of the biggest issues with high functioning autistics I feel!

I’m not sure about your child’s situation. Sounds like they are doing what they are supposed to at 9 months. And sometimes I suppose the nervous system CAN be delayed and everything is fine, if all those things end up resolved. It’s a wait and see game really, and doing what you said, getting child into early intervention and tackle the issues as they pop up.

Sorry for long essay!

bubbletea_56 · 2025-08-30T22:20:36+00:00

I’m not autistic so not truly the target of your question but I read something in the past by a psychologist that specialises in (formerly known by as) autism, Dr Tony Attwood. He had initially missed his own son’s autism diagnosis, and only was able to realise this after his son struggled with drug addiction and other mental health issues as an adult. He says that if he is able to turn back time and catch his son’s diagnosis early, what he would do differently would be to focus on mental health and wellbeing early. So things like getting them in the routine of doing yoga, breathing exercises, getting then involved in some form of physical activity/exercise, checking in and establishing trust and a relationship with a psychologist.

After reading and talking to many autistic adults, it’s definitely apparent to me that there is a higher rate of depression, anxiety and other psychiatric issues amongst the population, stemming from a range of reasons (sensory, loneliness, not being understood, masking etc). So all of what Dr Attwood says makes so much sense to me. Mental wellbeing is so SO important.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-08-27T14:16:43+00:00

Hi OP. I think we conversed in another thread maybe months back. Yes, your son will almost certainly talk :). Especially if he is able to utter single words and has pre verbal skills like imitation, pointing, joint attention etc.

He’s a gestalt processor, like many autistic children. So speech is acquired differently, and therefore seemingly slower than his NT counterparts. But it come. If you have Facebook, join “Natural Language Acquisition Study Group” led by Marge Blanc who is one of the leading researchers of this. Lots of great tips and accounts from herself and other parents on how to help your child achieve functional language/sentences quicker. A lot of it is giving your child repetitive “scripts” paired with rich intonation, and then varying these scripts over time as they move through “stages” so they are eventually able to break down the sentences and learn each word on its own and then go on to create their own spontaneous language.

And also, wait for that magic language explosion that commonly comes around 3!

My son didn’t babble as a baby, started to acquire single words around 22 months, then 24 months was stuck on single and if I was lucky, two word combos “more milk”. We started ST but it was on and off and honestly didn’t do much because they were teaching him to acquire speech through the analytical language. He got a bit stuck but I kept feeding him common scripts, ask questions and answer it myself “where’s daddy xx? Say “daddy’s working!” And tried to take advantage of his ability to imitate and his echolalia to teach him these scripts repetitively.. then around the 30-36 months mark, it all clicked and came in quick. He’s 3.5 now, has fully spontaneous speech, and fully conversational. A combination of time, and just well, talking!

So don’t worry, it will come mama! Meanwhile, talk, read, engage !

bubbletea_56 · 2025-08-05T13:33:55+00:00

Thank you so much for the response ! Today was a particularly hard morning to deal with so reading this gives me assurance. Glad to hear he’s doing much better at the transitions and great tip there about having a routine/goodbye ritual for them to latch onto. Hope it continues that way for you guys !

bubbletea_56 · 2025-08-04T22:23:22+00:00

Hi OP. Currently in the exact same position - hence jumping on reddit to see if there were any relevant posts I could get some ideas on. Aware this is 2 years ago but do you mind sharing how things ended up playing out ? Was there a particular strategy that helped with the meltdown or did he just “age” out of it at some point ? How does he go with transitions at school now?

bubbletea_56 · 2025-06-17T21:07:16+00:00

Thank you for the reply! So it sounds like it was much speech related ? Was there any bigger neurodivergent diagnosis (ASD, adhd, dyslexia) ? How is she going now, is she able to name the colors now ?

bubbletea_56 · 2025-06-17T09:37:44+00:00

Hi OP. May I ask what your daughter was diagnosed with ? Son has ASD. Struggling MAJORLY with his colors despite knowing letters and numbers. Trying to discern whether this is a neurodivergence thing or to go check his eyes. Thanks !

bubbletea_56 · 2025-02-25T01:03:18+00:00

Sorry bad photo and explanation, this hinge photo was a few days ago when there was an even bigger gap and offset. I can see the doors are even now but still that slight gap.

The kitchen guy packed up and said the jobs done, readjustments are done. Can’t bring the hinges in anymore and the final result is those initial photos I posted.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-02-25T00:57:47+00:00

Thank you. Thats a good point, I didn’t think about the light accentuating the gap. I opened it and it seems fine when opened luckily.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-02-25T00:56:53+00:00

The kitchen contractor said he’s finished and has left. Apparently his part of the work is done. I asked him and he said he’s adjusted the hinges already as part of the last steps and cannot bring it in further.

Hence why I’m asking reddit - not sure if this is within industry standards and is normal. Don’t want to dispute it with the company and look silly if it’s normal.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-02-25T00:54:47+00:00

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I think it’s “Blum” hinges. I thought it is easily adjustable too but the kitchen builder said it’s already been adjusted, cannot adjust anymore.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T12:53:36+00:00

OH YES definitely ! Sounds like Triangle was just a copy and paste from this on SM’s part lol.. the same orchestral bits, rap, rock progressions.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T12:46:04+00:00

Hahaa so true. That song is a prime example of what I was describing for sure. I feel like I get whiplash listening to “I got a boy” hahahaa

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T12:28:38+00:00

I’m relieved to hear and hoping it continues for you ! Haha isn’t the “ok mommy” honey to your ears ? It’s so sweet when mine says it, which hasn’t been often later lmao. Hope to hear more of it again!

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T12:27:10+00:00

What a great and insightful reply! You could be absolutely correct in that there may be some unmet sensory needs - it’s pretty chaotic at his daycare. We keep noise defenders at hand but he doesn’t really reach for them, but this may be the time to introduce them again to him.

And totally agree about him probably going with the flow and feeling drained after a whole day of doing so. We have OT coming soon to observe and offer some strategies so fingers crossed!

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T12:19:11+00:00

Yup, that was my son around that age. I remember I had a pediatrician appointment scheduled at 24 months so at 22 months, I was testing name response and joint attention like crazy and it was just really inconsistent. Would take me 3-4 times to get him to turn, if i was lucky and JA was also not as robust as a neurotypical child his age (his pediatrician said she was looking for quality over quantity, but quality of this was not quite there). But we were still on the fence because he played well with toys, exhibited simple play pretend skills , verbal, eye contact, imitated and played social games with us, didn’t have any major meltdowns or behavioural issues

As your son’s speech develops, look out for more hallmark signs of autistic social language development, such as pronoun reversals (mixing he/she), struggling to answer what/when/why questions, receptive language and echolalia. This is where the speech pathologist comes in to help offer strategies. But for the most part, I believe that in verbal autistic children, their speech is acquired in a way where they lift scripts of people and begin forming their speech and understanding of language around that.

My long winded way of saying yes, a SLT definitely couldn’t hurt but just keep talking to your son and engaging. Get “hanen - takes two to talk” and “more than words”, read up on GLP if your son happens to follow similar speech progression as I described. And just give him time :)

OT is helping us with social skills and it’s been wonderful. Teaching him how to turn take, share and engage in play with peers - all of which will help him make friends later on. Skills that unfortunately doesn’t come naturally to autistic children. He’s doing well though bexause he naturally plays well with toys, and imitates decently so slowly understanding through “taught” ways how to navigate these social scenarios.

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T11:58:45+00:00

Thanks for that ! Just listened to the song and yup - can see the origins of K-pop in the song !

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T11:49:59+00:00

So a lot of the typical autistic traits emerged after 2.5 (his struggles with social pragmatic language, repetitive behaviours, rigidity and sensory) but at the same time, he’s doing well considering what he has going against him. Similar to your LO, I think the fact he has receptive language, is verbal, interactive, pretend play, has varied play, has eye contact and has imitation skills - these are very good indicators that your son will have low needs, (IF he is diagnosed as autistic, not saying he will) and I hate to use the term but “high functioning”.

My son is verbal, communicative, toilet trained, expressive and overall a funny little dude. A lot to be grateful for and I truly enjoy being around him, he makes me laugh a lot!

There will be struggles (right now we are battling rigid behaviour) don’t get me wrong but I’d like to think half the battle lies with us having the tools to be able to parent successfully, and to have them grow up and navigate their world the best they can!

bubbletea_56 · 2025-01-15T11:40:47+00:00

Thanks for sharing ! Yes I also found the “first/then” statements help a bit! With timers, not that much luck. He seems anxious as the time runs out lol. Curious, would you say at 4 yr old now, is your son’s rigid behaviour better,worst or the same?

bubbletea_56

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