Home PodcastJulie Alli Living with autism – Irfan and Taskeen’s stories

Living with autism – Irfan and Taskeen’s stories

by Luqmaan Rawat

Some of the goodies coming out of Irfan’s bakery Photo Farhana Rajah

Johannesburg – Irfan is an eighteen-year-old aspiring baker who trains in his mum’s kitchen with her by his side. Tasting, testing, and treating other family members until their recipes are perfect to slot on their product list.

Irfan Ganch is on the autistic spectrum and with shyness and enthusiasm, and his mum, Farhana Rajah, they spoke to Julie Alli about Irfan’s-Delights, the home bakery Irfan began working on during the lockdown.

“I started a small business by 2021, when I was 18 years old. In February 2021. I bake and sell desserts. I make crunchies, choc nut crunchies, rusks, baklava nests and more … I also want to make new desserts like malva pudding and brownies and other desserts.”

The brain of an autistic person may work differently, regardless, they are equal to their peers and in some ways have skills superior to them. Irfan is a testament to that as he has become a proficient baker.

The pandemic kept Irfan at home, and it was during this time his mother noticed he was taking a liking to baking. She decided to bring him into the mix and before long he was running the kitchen.

When Irfan was approaching a year old, his neighbour alerted his mother to the fact that he wasn’t saying any words. His parents decided to take him to a paediatrician after the situation didn’t improve overtime.

“We then took him to a paediatrician who referred us to a specialist. It was only at four years old he got diagnosed with autism. We had no idea what autism was. It was a very scary journey. We had a brilliant doctor. The late De Lorna Jackson. She introduced Irfan to the Johannesburg School of Autism. Irfan was four and a half and had a vocabulary of about twenty to thirty words.”

Autism has a wide spectrum, and every child is impacted by it differently. Taskeen Cassim has been living with autism her entire life. She showed signs of it from as early as ten years old but was only diagnosed last year at the age of 23.

“I was only diagnosed at the beginning of last year. It’s difficult to diagnose females with autism. It’s easier to identify in males. [Some] Signs are tics/stimming (repetitive movements or sounds as a means of self-soothing). I was overly sensitive to sound. I struggled a lot in school, and I was also mute for around two years.”

There are different treatments for autism and in Cassim’s case, the medicine she was already on was increased.

“We decided to up the dosage of the two meds that I was already on. An anti-depressant and a mood stabiliser. It just keeps me composed and balanced. Besides that, I figured out my own coping mechanisms and I’m saving to buy myself items that are for autistic people who have sensory overload.”

Cassim has her own coping mechanisms which she has found to be helpful.

“I allow myself to stim. I whistle a lot and have a lot of movements with my hands. It calms me down. I wear jewellery and I play with all of them. I even got a tongue ring to keep my mouth occupied.”

One of her challenges is appearing as an abled bodied person to people, making it difficult for them to understand that she does have a disability.

“Appearing as fully abled but actually being a disabled individual. Sensory overload is extremely painful and taxing on my body. Having people look at me weirdly when I stim.”

A sensory overload occurs when your five senses — sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste — take in more information than your brain can process. When this happens, the body is put through immense pain explains Cassim.

“It’s incredibly overwhelming. It feels like someone placed a siren in my ears. It’s loud and distorting.”

When it occurs, Cassim has a set procedure she follows to relieve the pain and stop the overload.

“I make sure that I’m alone during this time. I walk away from others or if I’m at home I just go to my room. I put earphones in and play something soft and soothing. I also put a dim light on.”

To avoid a sensory overload from happening daily, Cassim takes an occasional break from life.

Living with autism is never easy, not for the child or the parent and Cassim has offered advice to parents of children with autism.

“They [parents] need to have a lot of patience and be understanding. They should educate themselves about autism and need to know how large the spectrum is. They will then need to see exactly how their child is affected. If the child needs assistance with schooling they should get them the needed support. Also, a lot of sensory toys. Whether it’s sensory swings, chew toys, those ones that you press. Just know how to help them with their sensory overload. They must also be aware of autistic meltdowns / sensory overload. Depending on the child they must know how to help them. Communicate and understand their needs.”

Farhana stressed that getting a diagnosis as early as possible is key for an autistic child’s development.

“Please get your diagnosis as soon as possible. See a specialist. Early intervention is key. Before the age of six, start your speech therapy, start your occupational therapy, if necessary, start your physiotherapy as much as possible…. Occupational therapy is so vital to get that in before they reach six years old, so they have a foundation, and when they do start schooling it’s much easier.”

While Irfan communicates beautifully and has learned good social skills, him going out by himself is “the only thing that worries” his parents.

“When he’s on his own, people will tend to take advantage of his condition and that is our biggest fear. At the moment he’s not able to distinguish who is sincere and who is not, and we are hoping with time In sha Allah (God-Willing), that will develop, but he will always need someone next to him to guide him and to show him the way.”

Unlike European countries, South Africa still lacks the type of facilities and technology offered abroad to help people living with autism but there are those who are passionate about autism education and keep the conversation moving forward. Cassim believes we will see more changes and more facilities opening so people can get the help they deserve.

Irfan’s Delights can be found on Facebook and Instagram

To listen to Julie Alli speaking with Farhan and Irfan:

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