Of vicissitudes & braving: Mom of twins with Autism shares her atypical journey

Still dreading the day their psychologist reaffirmed her fears by declaring both the twin sons were embattled with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Ambreen Suhaib broods over how her life and priorities have shuffled drastically ever since.

Ambreen, a mom of three boys, settled with her husband in Dubai right after their marriage 10 years ago. Now they are a family of five and her husband struggles  to ensure their livelihood is not affected due to expensive therapies their atypical twins require. One bares in mind the various treatments going into this can be very straining in all ways: physically, mentally and financially.

Until the point it was finally diagnosed, she had “kind of always wondered something was off the beat with my children”. But for Suhaib and her family, considering the children could be suffering any neuro-developmental condition was not a go-to deduction.

“They would neither take explicit cues, nor even respond to their names, but we were still  negating any possibility of a disability.” She always knew something was not right but to think they might have autism condition was too bold and bristly for her to think.

Suhaib added that the watershed moment for her was the time when she saw one of her twins staring at the roof incessantly for 40 minutes. This was the point I couldn’t be gaslighted anymore into thinking all’s good and that they might simply be slow-bloomers due to being twins, she added.

“I put a full stop on all the denials and went straight to a doctor after days of my homework who referred me to a good psychologist.”

Recounting her story, and that of her twins’, Suhaib concludes the early intervention shortly after observing something anomalous is the key.

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The sooner the parents observe something off in their children and wasting no time see an expert without falling prey to rumors and theories, the more they can do to make their children’s lives, and theirs, better.

“It’s hard, but own your children. They are yours to own and their problems, too, are yours to attend to.” An MPhil in International Relations and a homemaker, Sabir has now stepped into the advocacy where she designs campaigns for Autism (ASD) awareness, and stresses on early intervention by parents. Something only possible once they get it timely checked.