SLEEPLESS nights, sporadic meltdowns or acts of aggression, and at times not knowing exactly what is needed, are just a few of the challenges that some parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or commonly known as autism, are faced with.
In light of World Autism Awareness Day commemorated on April 2, the SUN spoke to Yogie Padaychee about her journey coping with her now 17-year-old son, Tristan, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age.
Autism is a brain development disorder that affects social interaction, behaviour, language and communication. However, each child on the spectrum is affected differently.
Padayachee, 51, who lives on The Bluff, said Tristan was diagnosed with autism when he was 26-months-old in January 2008.
She said, however, she noticed much earlier he had not reached some of the milestones.
“He was 18-months-old when we initially noticed. He was not verbal, wouldn’t make eye contact, and would not respond when he was called. Family and friends had also noticed and ‘autism’ was often mentioned.
“I initially thought to give him some time, as every child develops at their own pace, but months passed and there was no progress. I remember randomly picking up a child development book one day and the first page I opened was about autism. I instantly knew that my child was autistic, and it was later confirmed by specialists,” she said.
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The mother of two, said it has been an uphill journey for her and her family over the past couple of years.
“It has been a challenging time for my husband, Trevor, my daughter and myself. One of our greatest challenges is Tristan being non-verbal. It makes it harder to know exactly what he wants. Despite me knowing what he likes to eat, there are times when he push the food away. Tristan also has many sensory issues and irregular sleep patterns. When he is awake, I have to be awake, which has left me sleep deprived.
“Furthermore, Tristan is level three on the spectrum, which requires a substantial amount of support and supervision. Tristan, like many others on this level, also have challenging behaviours such as frequent meltdowns, aggression and self-harm. He often bangs his head or screams when he is trying to communicate or just out of frustration.
“Another challenge we face is that anytime of the day or night he would want to be taken for a drive regardless of the time, otherwise he would start screaming and become uncontrollable. I live by the four ‘P’s, which is prayer, perseverance, patience and planning in advance,” she said.
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Padaychee said it was important to create awareness about autism.
“I believe there is a need for autism awareness to increase so that autistic people can be understood. The moment you see a child ‘throwing a tantrum’ in public, the parents and child are often judged, but in some cases it could be that the child is autistic, and is overwhelmed because of the crowd, sounds, bright colours, or bright lights. Autistic people are triggered by little things that someone else may not even notice,” she said.
Padayachee, who is a member of the Austism Awareness Group, added that parents who require advice or support, should not be afraid to ask for assistance.
“I joined the support group and It was a great feeling to know I was not alone and I had the support of other mothers. Now, I always encourage parents to reach out, there are many people willing to help you through this journey,” she said.
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