AAAP’s resident artist, Victor Francesco “Vico” Cham, is no stranger to media attention. He has held a one-man show for his artwork, bested “normal” kids in art competitions and garnered TV and print coverage for his unique talent.
Proudly autistic
By Angelo G. Garcia
13 December 2010MANILA, Philippines — In 1999, then eight-year-old Victor Francesco “Vico” Cham was playing in the office of his parents who are both architects. The office was filled with art materials that Vico could play with. He grabbed a blueprint, some poster paints and a brush, sat on the floor and started to paint his favorite cartoon show on the back of the blueprint.
“I was in the shower and I did not know that he was in the office. When I asked what he was painting, he replied ‘Blues Clues, mommy.’ So if you observe the painting, there’s a house, there’s the garden. Immediately, after he finished his painting, I had it framed. That’s the time I realized that my son could be an artist,” recalls mommy Cathy Cham. It would have been a mother’s ordinary discovery. Only, Vico has autism and the fact that he could produce beautiful artworks brought immeasurable joy, and hope, to his mom.
Now at 19 years old, Vico is the pride of his parents, and the Autism Society Philippines (ASP). He is now known for his artworks, which were even featured in a television show. Earlier this year, he had even held his first one-man exhibit at SM Marikina, featuring more than 50 of his digital and hand-drawn artworks.
Lirio Sobrevinas Covey is the founder and current president of AAAP and proud mother of Mikey, an adult with autism. She is currently a Professor in Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry with Columbia University Medical Center. She earned a doctorate in Psychology from the City University of New York , and completed a master’s degree in Psychology and post-doctoral training from Columbia University. She is a licensed psychologist for the state of New York State. Her clinical and research work focused on smokers who were both nicotine dependent and suffering from co-occurring depressive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and alcohol and/or drug dependence. She co-authored a book that collected her experiences and those of other smoking cessation experts entitled “Helping the Hard-core Smoker: A Clinician’s Guide”, and has been the senior author or co-author on numerous peer-reviewed US and Europe-based scientific publications.
The Association for Adults with Autism, Philippines is a non-profit association, established by parents of individuals within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and professionals dedicated to the welfare of those with this developmental disorder. 
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