Blogs

“I will make you proud. I will study medicine” Siri, my non-speaking autistic daughter, expressed her aspiration to study medicine using a letter board. Questions flooded my mind: How would she communicate with patients given her significant challenges? While I recognize her intelligence, would she even be accepted into medical school? Are there others like her who have succeeded in this field?

“I am daddy’s little girl,” proclaimed Siri, my autistic daughter who is a non-speaker and uses a letter board to communicate. Siri is our firstborn of three children, followed by her two neurotypical brothers. I always wanted a daughter, while my wife hoped for a son first. Siri was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, which was the standard practice at the time.

“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

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

“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