“It was the best day of our lives when the doctor told us that we were pregnant. I was so excited. It was a happy and relaxed pregnancy. My son was born healthy. He was such a happy baby – we would love to cuddle and play with him. Two years later, during one of our regular review appointments, the doctor said he could be autistic. We were taken aback! She explained the symptoms of being scared to interact with others or not being able to talk at all even at the age of 2 – it suddenly started making sense to us. But it was a lot to take. My son was quiet but he was always playing with his toys and having fun. We thought it was his way of playing. But gradually, everything the doctor said made us understand that he was autistic. I didn’t know anything about it! I did a lot of research. My husband went into depression because he was so worried that our son wouldn’t speak or he’ll have complications. We decided that, as parents, we would be there for him throughout and make him strong.

I read a lot about speech therapy. So I moved to Hyderabad in 2018 and admitted him for classes.
It was a struggle! Everyday, I would take him to the class and observe what they did. I would do the same at home and try to encourage him to talk. It was overwhelming. Almost 20 hours of my day would be spent being around my son, trying to help him speak. Our first aim was communication in English. It was a lot not just for me but for him too! He was loving and caring – he would hold onto us for long. But he had other complications like attention and sensory processing. Any loud sound would scare him. In India, I tried to take him out and get him used to the noise on the street. It was a challenge. That year, I had to go back to the UK for 2 months, leaving my son behind with my mother. It was the most difficult 60 days of my life. He wasn’t very receptive on video calls, but I would desperately want to talk to him. A day before his birthday (in November), I decided that I can’t be away. I left everything and flew down. The moment he saw me walk towards him, he shouted: “Mommy is here!” That’s it, that long flight and everything else was worth it. He kept saying those words and hugged me tight. He wouldn’t let me go for the next few days. He was scared that I’d leave him again. I decided that day, to never leave my son alone all my life. Till my last breath, I want to be around him.
The last two years have been a challenge, but he’s improved so much. He talks and interacts with people. It’s an ongoing journey but I’m so proud of what he is today. During these years, I couldn’t help but think of so many other mothers whose children are autistic and how difficult it must be for them. I started an Instagram page as a platform for people to reach out to one another. It’s not easy and many times, people give up. My son and I are an example that if you take a leap of faith, you’re going to figure it out.”

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