Dubai-based expat mum of autistic son: ‘We need more than an awareness month’

Dubai-based expat mum of autistic son: ‘We need more than an awareness month’

Anila Gonsalves grew up feeling helpless about her siblings’ health. It was only when they were past 20 that they were diagnosed. Her sister has Tourette syndrome, a nervous system issue that result in tics, and her brother has schizophrenia, a brain disorder that can muddle a person’s sense of reality. The experience endowed her with the spirit of proactiveness and solution-finding. It also instilled in her the importance of early intervention. Which is why, when she found out her first born was displaying signs of autism, she was quick to react in spite of being eight months pregnant. “When I was expecting my second son, I put my first one into the nursery and that’s where they realised that something is a little off, because he wasn’t responding, he could not speak, had no eye contact - all the red flags of autism. They were very unsure – but they flagged it to us. So the thing is, I immediately took him to specialists and at that time, they said, ‘We are not sure but he’s showing signs’,” she tells Gulf News in an interview. “When I got to know about my son’s condition, I broke down,” she says.