There is so much I feel and want to say but expressing my thoughts had always been hard for me. But off-late, I have started writing my thoughts and I am liking it. I don’t know what energy is making me do so but I’m going with the flow. Special thanks to specialsaathi.com, which gave me a platform to express myself and write about my feelings.
Some incidents in life, force you to self-reflect, force you to become a better version of yourself, and I am in that process in life, where I am healing myself. But the path of healing is not at all easy, it has many ups and downs and a lot of hindrances. I have been hurt many times in the process and it takes time to be myself again. But every time I have come back, I am one step closer to my higher self.
My healing journey had already started before my daughter was born. I was blessed with Anaisha after almost 4 years of immense struggle and when I thought, no other problem can come into my life now, that is when she was diagnosed with Autism. Anaisha means “special” and little I knew; God will take it literally! Her diagnosis created many doubts, and I constantly questioned my prayers. With doubts still in my heart, I determined not to be defeated and take this challenge head-on. I have been wanting to write about my understanding of Autism on this website for a long, and today on International day for persons with disabilities I am taking this opportunity. I never knew that the 3rd of December, which happens to be my birthday as well, coincides with “World Disability Day” and I would have never realized it if Anaisha had not come into my life.
I had just heard about Autism & never lived closely with any autistic person until my daughter was diagnosed with it. It was not at all easy to accept initially but we had no option. Life just changed after that & my methods to teach her changed. To teach a special child, a parent must learn new techniques which are not easy & this girl is making me teach new things every day. There are days when I feel proud of her, but I won’t deny it, some days make me feel terrible, especially when she tries to communicate something that I am not able to understand & I pray to God to give me strength these days.
There isn’t much awareness about Autism in India and that’s the saddest part.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with difficulties in social interaction & communication. They even have restricted & repetitive behavior. Some children have issues with sensory processing. Some experience regression in their communication & social skills after reaching developmental milestones at a normal pace, & this is what happened with my daughter. She was developing at an absolute normal pace till she was 17 months & then suddenly she started showing signs of regression. (That is why it was even more difficult to accept)
Not every child on the spectrum is the same. Like you cannot compare two typical children, similarly, you cannot compare two autistic children. One keeps on hovering in the spectrum from mild to severe depending on the interventions they are getting. And that is why we call it Autism “Spectrum” Disorder.
I know that the road ahead will have many ups & downs, but with hard work & determination, Anaisha will bloom. She has already come a long way. She now speaks more than she has ever had. She has started to understand more & I promise one day she will do great things in life. I know Anaisha will find her way & will blossom So what she is different, she was born to stand out and so the saying – “Why to fit in when you were born to stand out!” So today, on the International Day for persons with disabilities lets pledge to love and support people with Autism and other disabilities a little more.
Megha is a mother of a 6-year-old girl on autism spectrum disorder. Megha is a working professional in an Energy Consulting firm in New Delhi. She has a strong inclination towards dance, which is her therapy for life. In her free time, you will often see her making Instagram reels @megbats2020
The creative representation for today’s post on International Day for persons with disabilities is done by CreativeSaathi associate supertalented Ansh Batra
