April Autism Awareness month ‒ Real life autism stories series |14 May 2021

Chamuel

Chamuel has changed our lives positively

Chamuel Souris is four years old and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (moderate) in November 2019. He is an affectionate, handsome, sweet and energetic little boy despite being aggressive at times due to his diagnosis.

Chamuel faces difficulty to communicate verbally but instead uses gestures to express himself – which he does very well. However, he lacks proper social skills.

Over the years, as his parents, we have come to notice that Chamuel is smart and possesses innovative skills. This is especially noticeable when he plays his favourite games like building blocks, puzzles and matching games. One of his favourite past time is to watch car races on YouTube on his tablet.

Chamuel faces a lot of difficulties with fine motor skills (co-ordination of small muscles in movement usually involving synchronisation of hands and fingers with the eyes). Luckily, with occupational therapy and speech therapy now on board, he is slowly but surely improving in that area. As of recent, he has surprised us by uttering few single words, mainly in English.

Additionally, Chamuel has sensory issues. He is sensitive to touch, texture of foods and all matters in his surroundings. His sensitivity to food texture has also rendered him to favour foods like lentils and yoghurt. 

Despite it all, to have an autistic child is a blessing ‒ children living with autism possess a unique and special trait. As such, Chamuel is not treated differently, we love and treat him equally as we would do his other siblings. He has changed our lives positively, and has taught us how to become more patient, kind, considerate and accepting to others – and for that, we treasure and love him dearly. We could not have asked for a better and special little person who brings so much joy and content to our hearts. Chamuel is well loved!

Contributed