DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Health & Science

Chef Lee Dong-jun Recognized His Two-Year-Old Son’s Developmental Signs: ‘He Spoke Late and Barely Looked When Called’

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Chef Lee Dong-jun said he sought medical care after noticing that his two-year-old son spoke late and responded inconsistently when called.
  • Lee and his wife described the difficulty of obtaining a diagnosis and finding a clear treatment pathway.
  • The article outlines early signs associated with autism spectrum disorder and stresses the importance of professional assessment and early support.

Chef Lee Dong-jun said he first realized his son’s development differed from that of other children when the boy began attending daycare at about age two. The child spoke little, cried frequently and did not respond consistently when people called him. Lee and his wife, Kim In-seo, then took him to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

When we went to daycare, he was so different from the other children. He could not speak well and cried a lot. That was when my wife and I went to the hospital.

· Lee Dong-junHe described how he first recognized his son’s developmental differences.

Kim said a kindergarten shuttle-bus driver helped her reconsider what she had been seeing. The driver told her that the child did not look up even when greeted. Combined with Lee’s concerns, that observation led the couple to seek medical advice.

The article lists possible early signs of autism spectrum disorder, including the absence of meaningful gestures such as babbling or pointing by 12 months, no single words by 16 months and no two-word combinations by 24 months. Limited eye contact, failing to respond to one’s name and difficulty sharing attention can also appear. A loss of previously developed language or social skills at any age may be another warning sign.

The driver said, ‘He does not look at you even when you greet him.’ That really struck me.

· Kim In-seoShe recalled the observation that prompted her to consider a medical evaluation.

The presence of some of these traits does not by itself establish a diagnosis. The Korean Society of Pediatric Neurology says children need continued observation and professional evaluation. Doctors may use developmental and behavioral screening, neurological assessment, cognitive and language evaluations, and hearing tests when appropriate.

Because our child was the protagonist of our lives, at first it felt like the protagonist of a drama had died. We were both really devastated.

· Lee Dong-junHe described the emotional impact of his son’s diagnosis.

Lee recalled the diagnosis as deeply painful for both parents. Kim said they faced long waits for diagnosis and treatment, while struggling to understand which options to choose. The society recommends identifying concerns as early as possible so children can receive support and treatment tailored to their developmental needs.

We knew nothing, and we had to wait a long time even for the hospital diagnosis. There was no clear route for treatment.

· Kim In-seoShe described the difficulties the family faced after the diagnosis.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog