I have been totally involved in bringing up my only son. The problems started when he attended school, he being a very mild natured boy, his class mates could make him do anything and he got into trouble. He could not copy from the blackboard. He could read and write but his handwriting was illegible. When he was in grade two he could not cope with the class routine. He was assessed by numerous specialists, who used words like IQ, M.R and autism, I was not fully aware of my son’s condition, nor what these labels meant.

I came to know of Asperger’s syndrome upon reaching Chennai when my son was nearly 11 years old. Our consultant explained the condition of our son and gave reasons for hope. My son is very trusting and likes people, he will walk away with total strangers. Once he was missing for good part of the day and finally when he was found at the home for destitutes, he was quite at ease playing there. He did not display any emotion at being lost or when we found him!

Conclusion
What can we do to help such children come up in life and earn their livelihood independently? They need help and support right through their lives, who will look after them after us, this worries me a lot. Any training that we parents can get will go a long way in rehabilitating these children, to my mind a conference or seminar should attempt to do just that.