Ghulam Qadir/Srinagar

When doctors told Srinagar's Kulsuma Parvez that her 4-year-old son had autism, her life became topsy turvey. With no autism center in the Kashmir Valley, Kulsuma decided to use her instincts as a mother not only to take care of her special-needs child but also of others like him.

Kulsuma founded 'Exceptional Minds', an autism center for children with special needs.

Her son Farman, 16, first showed signs of autism, like poor communication skills, speech speaking, loud crying, and laughing at the age of four.

A teacher Kulsuma consulted local doctors. Nothing helped and his symptoms became more pronounced. She came to Delhi for seeking medical help. A doctor at a child development center confirmed her fears that Farman was born autistic.

Kulsuma holding a counselling session with parents of children with autism

For the next six years, Kulsuma traveled to and from Delhi and Srinagar for her son's treatment. She also took some crash courses on autism, including occupational and speech therapy and special education on caring for her child at home.

Kulsuma moved to Gurugram and attended many workshops on autism. She worked in autism centers like Sunshine Special Center, Sankalp Special Center, and Moms Belief Soch in Gurugram to gain first-hand experience in dealing with autistic children.

Kulsuma returned to the Valley in 2019 and started taking care of her son at home. She also hired a certified professional and finally opened an autism center 'Exceptional Minds - Center for Autism and Early Intervention' in the Bemina area of Srinagar in 2019.

Kulsuma Parvez's school provides facilities like behavioural and occupational therapy.

Kulsuma says, “My mission is to empower children with special needs and move towards inclusive education and rehabilitation of children with special needs.”

He said that every child with special needs can have significant improvement if provided early intervention and handled with special care. She has 20 children at her center, some of them suffering from other neurological disorders as well.

Kulsuma at her center

'Exceptional Minds..' offers behavioral and occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, oral placement therapy, special education, physical therapy, physical therapy, music and art therapy, and activities of daily living (ADL).

It focuses on basic self-care tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, shifting from bed to chair, toileting, grooming, and feeding oneself.

Kulsuma, a life member of the Autism Society of India, says that the income from the monthly fees of the children is spent on the rent of the center and the salary of the employees. "I don't take any money from school earnings," she says.

She says that the school has not received any government or private support. “We are standing on our own. My husband helps me run the center." She urges every parent not to feel stigmatized if their children develop autism. She says that early intervention can be extremely helpful for the child.

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She says, “We should create more awareness about autism so that children with special needs can be accepted by society. They are special children and we should take special care of them.”