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“I will never use my disability as an excuse to be mediocre” - Siri.

“I will never use my disability as an excuse to be mediocre” said Siri, on her scholarship application, when asked about special circumstances she may be facing. I come across many parents with special needs children during the course of my work, building technology tools to help people affected by autism. When I discuss with them about the possibility of using these tools to improve their motor skills or communication skills, some immediately respond saying, “My son/daughte

Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH

Jan 122 min read

Rethinking Diagnosis Is Non-Speaking Autism Misunderstood as Intellectual Disability?

Is it possible that we have been misdiagnosing non-speaking autistic people as having intellectual disability? Autistic people who cannot communicate often have Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) listed as a condition in their medical records. The issue is that intelligence can only be measured if a person can communicate through speech or sign language. People with non-speaking autism can do neither, so they are often considered intellectually disabled. Language, es

Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH

Dec 12, 20252 min read

I want to become a neuroscientist," my daughter Siri declared.

I want to become a neuroscientist," my daughter Siri declared. For many, this aspiration may seem typical, but for Siri, it is extraordinary. Being autistic and non-speaking, with limited access to formal education until three years ago, her journey to this dream is remarkable. Initially, we thought Siri's communication abilities were restricted, until we discovered the letter board method. Witnessing her spell out words shattered our preconceptions. With dedicated learning a

Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH

Nov 12, 20252 min read

Siri Has a Surprise for her Dad

“Dad, I am speaking”, declared Siri, my daughter, with non-speaking Autism. At this moment, there was a flurry of feelings and emotions that went through my being! Obviously, the first one was of Excitement. Hearing her speak full sentences, when most of her life it has been single words or incomprehensible sounds combined with repetition, strange body movements and facial expressions. The second feeling was of Sadness. She had to live more than 2 decades in this state of sil

Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH

Nov 12, 20252 min read

“I would love to tell my dad that I love him and thank you for not giving up on me” - Siri.

Every Father’s Day I am reminded of what Siri, my daughter with autism, said a few years ago when she started to communicate for the first time in her second decade of life. “I would love to tell my dad that I love him and thank you for not giving up on me” - Siri. This weekend we hosted a research team from University of Calgary, which is studying an Augmented Reality tool, EcoPilot, they developed for individuals with non-speaking autism. Thanks to the team that traveled al

Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH

Aug 13, 20251 min read