The story was co-published with Nguoi Viet Daily News as part of the 2025 Ethnic Media Collaborative, Healing California.
Nine years ago, Chinh Nguyen, an Orange County resident, began to notice something different about her two-year-old son, Patrick.
“During the first eight months after birth, Patrick rarely smiled or cried,” she recalled. “He didn’t make eye contact when people talked to him or reacted when his name was called.”
At first, she thought this emotional detachment meant she was lucky to have a calm child…