Dhuha’s Diagnosis

Autism, Family 25 Aug 2009

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Alhamdulillah, Yesterday, Dhuha was formally diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. The diagnosis came as a surprise to me after months and months of foot dragging and still with some outstanding tests (blood, urine, eye) to be done. I am not happy that my daughter has autism but I am happy that with a diagnosis she will get even more help than she has been getting. For my wife and I, it’s about getting Dhuha the best possible help as early as possible.

Zahira was telling me about a conversation she had with a woman that works with autistic children; this woman remarked that in her view Allah made these children autistic because if they didn’t have this problem they would be perfect. This is exactly how I feel about Dhuha. She quickly finds her way into the hearts of anyone she comes across, with her wonderful smile and beautiful eyes. To know her is to love her.

Ya ar-Rahman, ya ar-Rahim, be merciful to Dhuha, her family and the believers on that Day when we need Your mercy the most.

Autism Diagnosis Dhuha

About the author

Abdullah

I am Abu Sabah Abdullah Al-Amreeki, a revert to Islam from Christianity, a husband to my beautiful wife, a father to my amazing children, an aspiring daiee and a wannabe Web developer.

7 Comments

caraboska
August 25, 2009 at 9:43 am

This is comforting somehow. I have come to realize recently that I probably have Asperger’s myself. Nobody knew what that was when I was a kid, so they didn’t know what to do with me and I ended up figuring it out ‘by chance’ (not that I believe in chance) at the age of 40-something. So maybe God allowed it to happen because… otherwise I’d be perfect? And surely only God is perfect… He permits us to be imperfect so that it may be clear who is God.

Reply
Abdullah
August 25, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Your situation seems to be quite common or at least I have heard of several cases where Aspergers was not diagnosed until very late in life. ASD is also something that wasn’t commonly diagnosed in the 50′s or 60′s and when it was identified there were some very bizarre assumptions made as to what caused it.

Nothing is perfect except Allah and He creates us with imperfections.

Reply
caraboska
August 25, 2009 at 6:07 pm

Everything I’ve read suggests that it wasn’t really until the 1990s that people began to be familiar with Asperger’s in particular – the problem being that if someone could talk at more or less the normal age, it wouldn’t click that it could be a form of autism…

Reply
Abdullah
August 25, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Yeah, I can see how it could be conveniently labelled behavioural issues if the child is talking. When my wife and I started noticing Dhuha’s behaviour problems we thought it would come right once she could talk. Thinking that she was simply frustrated because she couldn’t get what she wanted. When her speech didn’t come, we took her to a speech therapist and that put us on the path to where we are today.

Reply
caraboska
August 25, 2009 at 8:17 pm

OK, Dhuha is three, right? It’s good you got on the matter quickly and figured out what’s going on. It sounds like she’s making great progress from what I’ve been reading – Alhamdulillah! May the Lord continue to guide you in how to bring up your child, and give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that He is God and watches over the affairs of His creatures.

Reply
Abdullah
August 27, 2009 at 3:38 am

Yes, Dhuha is three years old. It is Dhuha’s right in Islam that we take the best possible care of her. Alhamdulillah.

Reply
caraboska
August 27, 2009 at 10:32 pm

Of course it’s her right. And it is Allah’s glory and mercy if we manage to figure out what’s going on sooner rather than later. Alhamdulillah.

Reply