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Author: Gayatri Vathsan

Krishna was diagnosed autistic when he was four. I have fought exhaustion, fear, and guilt. The journey hasn’t been easy, far from it. But it has been profoundly beautiful, despite the moments of despair and hopelessness. It’s made me calmer, more grounded, more empathetic, more human. How could I not want to share this with you?

What Does “Normal” Really Mean?

 Krishna, my 10-year-old son, is not “normal.” I wonder if your first reaction to this statement is: Why is she dissing her own son? I am not. Krishna is on the autism spectrum; he is neurodivergent. Don’t think—worse! She’s dissing those poor neurodivergent people! Rewind. Let’s look at the Merriam-Webster definition of “normal.” NormalAdjective : […]

Autism Awareness: A Mother’s Perspective – VI

Part 6: The Myth of the Emotionless Autistic Let me tell you a story. A story about perceptions and misconceptions. One day,  we had guests visiting. It’s a rare occurrence because our son,  Krishna, has stranger anxiety. The visitors were a couple my mother’s generation,  and their son and daughter-in-law. I thought that the older […]

Autism Awareness: A Mother’s Perspective – V

Part 5: What is Stimming in Autism?  Krishna has always expressed excitement and happiness in a very particular way—by tensing his entire body and vigorously shaking his head. When he was a baby, people smiled and said it was adorable. When he was a toddler, they still found it endearing. But after his diagnosis, something […]

How Are You Coping?

“How are you coping?” Such a simple question, isn’t it? And yet, when it was asked, I found that I didn’t know how to answer it, because the words rose and then stopped somewhere in my throat, thick and unformed, while my eyes burned with something I had not expected. And I am not someone […]

Autism Awareness: A Mother’s Perspective – IV

Part 4: Emotional Expression in Autism I have been sharing my experiences with autism through my son Krishna’s ongoing story, which is now six years old, post diagnosis. At the time of diagnosis, however, we knew next to nothing about autism. The word evoked vague memories of Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. Or obscure news stories. […]

Autism Awareness: A Mother’s Perspective – III

Part 3: The fallout of SPI in Autism A new year with new beginnings – this is my hope and prayer for my son Krishna and all other children on the autistic spectrum. Of course,  the adults too. I’m hoping for 2025 to bring more sensitivity and awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders. The last week […]

Autism Awareness: A Mother’s Perspective – II

Part 2: SPI What does it mean to live with autism?  Let me share a little of my experience the past 10 years as the mother of an autistic child. Autism and sensory processing issues (SPI) Autism majorly walks hand in hand with sensory processing issues.  We experience the world through sight, smell, taste, sound, […]

Autism Awareness: A mother’s perspective – I

Part 1: The hidden pain I never truly thought about autism awareness until I lived through an experience that made it unavoidable. It was during my 10-year-old son’s recent hospital admission for what was a fairly simple procedure. Fairly simple for a neurotypical child. For us, it was anything but simple. Three days of sedation, […]