Snippets from my memoir # 1

Hello,

As part of my blog I want to share snippets from my memoir 'Wrapped in Blue' to raise awareness of ASD and destigmatise mental illness.  Hence the following...

... first-time parents sometimes don’t know any better as they do not have older children to compare developmental milestones or behaviours with. Moreover, Amaar and she had never had any interest in reading books related to child development and care; after all raising a kid was no rocket science!

Zaki hardly babbled or cooed in his first year, perhaps he would be a lazy talker. He loved music and showed a preference for certain songs by jumping excitedly to the rhythm or clapping his hands and to his parents this meant that he was engaging with his environment appropriately. His eye contact seemed fine as well and since he was a smiley, happy kid, no one was alerted to anything unusual in his developmental milestones. Thus, happy-go-lucky Zaki turned one and his birthday was celebrated with great festivity in Karachi, for which both sets of grandparents flew in from Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The few people Ammar and Zoya socialized with had older kids, hence, their exposure to toddlers was very limited. Had they been in Lahore surrounded by family and friends perhaps they would have caught on to something faster. Someone may have sounded an alarm bell.

Indeed, during one of Zoya’s trips back to Lahore in Zaki’s second year, Abba circumspectly voiced his concern about Zaki’s lack of speech. He was immediately rebuffed with a barrage of responses, “Boys talk later than girls”, “He is only two years old leave him alone”, and, “Uff taubah (By God!) Kami you are always so negative”. But where Zoya’s maternal instinct had failed, Abba’s grandfatherly instinct had made him sneak away Zaki to a paediatrician.

After Abba returned from the doctors with Zaki in his arms, one could visibly see his relief. The doctor had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Zaki and he was just a late talker, and that was that.

So much for your paranoia Abba, didn’t we tell you there is nothing wrong with Zaki!

To purchase a copy of Wrapped in Blue click on the following link:
 http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B013BP9Q32