April Autism Awareness Month – Real Life Autism Stories Series Raphael is autistic but technology savvy |08 May 2021

Meet Raphael, who will turn 8 this year. The journey has not been easy at all. He was diagnosed at the age of three and a half. It was difficult and confusing in the beginning as he had some hearing issues in both ears and was operated on twice.

I knew something was wrong but never thought that it was autism.

Accepting the diagnosis was a relief as we now know how to deal with the tantrums and meltdowns.

Raphael is non-verbal but he manages to express himself with a few words and he is following speech therapy.

We also have a system of flashcards that we use to communicate with him. Schooling was difficult and my mother did the most beautiful thing she could do for him; she left her post at the French school to become his own personal support in his education.

He sometimes struggles with social interactions and does not cope well in a unfamiliar environment. He cannot sit still for long periods of time but he is really good with numbers. He enjoys watching his videos and music on YouTube, I must say he is very technology savvy.

During all this time we only had one conversation together which I will never forget: ‘Bonjour maman tu vas bien?’ I was so proud of him. It's not easy sometimes as a parent you want your child to succeed and progress. With time and God's grace, I am sure we will get there.

Raphael loves being in the water and enjoys jumping on his trampoline. He also loves eating but his diet is limited due to some allergies. His favourite food is fried rice and he loves chocolate.

Raphael doesn't like noisy places and cutting his hair is a battle every time as he is scared of the machine so we now have to use scissors.

Every autistic child is different in their own way. They are not disabled; in fact they have more emotions than what we call normal. They are caring, loving, honest and they are all superheroes.

Autism children are a blessing in disguise!

Contributed