My name is Priya. My son Aryan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder just two weeks after his third birthday. I remember sitting in the doctor's office, staring at the wall, trying to make sense of words I had never really thought about before — "spectrum," "developmental delay," "early intervention." My husband was quiet the whole drive home. I cried for three days.
"I didn't know anyone else going through this. In our town, nobody talked about it. I thought we were alone in the world."
A neighbour mentioned Anurag Society for Special Needs to us about a month after Aryan's diagnosis. I was hesitant at first — I didn't know what to expect. Would they judge us? Would they have answers? Would they even understand what we were going through in a small town like Khatima?
The first time I walked into one of their parent meetings, I sat down and a woman across the table smiled at me and said, "First time? Don't worry — we all looked exactly like you do right now." I burst into tears. Not because I was sad, but because for the first time since Aryan's diagnosis, I felt seen.
Nobody at Anurag ever treated Aryan's autism as something to be embarrassed about or hidden. The staff, the other parents, the volunteers — they all spoke about it openly and warmly. That shifted something in us. We stopped whispering about it. We started explaining it to our family, Aryan's school, our neighbours. The shame simply dissolved.
The parent workshop on Individualised Education Plans (IEPs) was eye-opening. I didn't even know I had the right to request specific accommodations for Aryan at his school. Anurag's team walked us through exactly what to say, what documents to bring, and what the school was legally required to provide under the RPWD Act, 2016. We went back to his school the following week with confidence we didn't have before.
The art therapy sessions have been transformative for him. Aryan doesn't speak much, but when he sits down with paint and paper, something opens up in him. His therapist told us that he laughed out loud during a session last month — the first time in a group setting. We framed the painting he made that day.
If you are reading this and you just received a diagnosis for your child, please know this: the grief you feel is real and valid. But there is so much life and love ahead. Your child is not broken. They are different — and different can be wonderful.
Find your community. Reach out to Anurag Society. Come to a meeting even if you feel awkward. The other parents there have sat exactly where you are sitting. And they will be the first to tell you — it gets better. Not easier, necessarily. But richer. Fuller. More meaningful than you can imagine right now.
"Aryan is five now. He loves trains, monsoon rain, and the colour orange. He is the greatest teacher I have ever had."← Back to Resources