KOTA KINABALU: Despite his nerves, Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Yussof, 9, who is autistic, soldiered on when presenting his speech on why people should get vaccinated against Covid-19 in an online public speaking contest.
Organised by the Sabah English Aspiration Society (SEAS), Daniel's informative presentation got him through to the final round of the 4SYC Competition for children aged 7 to 9, where he won third place.
In his four-minute video presentation, Daniel fidgeted as he introduced himself and spoke about Covid-19 vaccine facts and what it does to our immune system.
"I'm diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and due to my condition, I prefer home-schooling than normal school.
"There are facts about vaccines that I would like to share. Firstly, vaccines don't cause autism, and secondly, only the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid vaccine is approved for people age 16 and above.
"There is no vaccine for kids. So adults, please listen carefully to my talk because this topic is related to you and how your decision on the Covid-19 vaccine will affect us, the kids."
Daniel talked about how the body could learn from infections as its immune system relies on millions of defensive white blood cells or leukocytes that consist of phagocytes and lymphocytes.
He explained the roles of phagocytes and lymphocytes in fighting the coronavirus when a vaccine is injected into the body.
"It (the vaccine) strengthens our immune system by training it to recognise and fight against the (Covid-19) virus. When you get vaccinated, you are protected, and you also help to protect the community."
Daniel's mother, Lizawati Aman, thanked SEAS for giving her son a chance to compete with neurotypical contestants.
She said she hoped to create awareness of stereotypes of autistic people as many think they do not speak.
"April is Autism Awareness Month. I hope my son's participation in this competition can improve his focus, English proficiency, public speaking skills and knowledge of what other people do in the real world."
The first-place winner was Marion Rays Samuel, 8, of SK Perancangan Ranau, and in second place was Shane Hikialani Wong, 7, of SJK (C) Pei Yin Membakut.
Aimyra Badrina Aimizal, 9, of Sekolah Integrasi Haji Khalia Khan Membakut, and Nadya Ezzara Azmi, 7, of SK Kampung Brunei Membakut, won the Promising Awards, while Sanjanaa Kanthan, 7, of SJK(C) Kung Ming, Beaufort, took home the Courage Award.
The SEAS 4SYC Competition aims to encourage rural children to stand out and speak about Covid-19 for four minutes.
