Rebecca Casimir: Fighting autism for a brighter future

On April 2, the World Autism Day will be celebrated across the globe. The theme for this year is “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity.” In this context, we met Rebecca Casimir and her family to know how this young lady is overcoming her condition. Being an autistic teenager, 16-year old Rebecca Casimir can barely converse. It is her aunt Marina who narrated how she is overcoming this condition. When Rebecca used to go to preprimary school, she was not talking to anyone and was finding it hard to adapt to this new environment. So her family took her to a speech and occupational therapist but there was not much improvement. “Rebecca had all the symptoms of an autistic child but we were not sure. We saw many doctors but none gave us a full diagnosis. Rebecca was enrolled in specialised school where she showed little improvement. Then we took her to Autism Maurice and latter, there were some signs of improvement,” she avers. Today, Rebecca can only say basic sentences. She mostly repeats what she hears. Her family supports her a lot when it comes to going out. “It has not always been easy to take her out. But the family always tries their best to take her out instead of confining her behind four walls. Sometimes, she can shout and people keep on staring. People need to understand that autistic children are like this,” reveals her aunt. Despite her health issues, Rebecca is a fighter and a courageous girl. Marina confided that her niece shows determination to overcome her condition. “She tries her best to move forward. She is not afraid to face the public. When we go out, she keeps her calm. Even now she wants to go out. So we are seeing great improvement now. She likes to go to the seaside and enjoy swimming.” Rebecca is fond of fried chicken and has her own favorites when it comes to food. “When you give her vegetables or fried chicken, she will definitely choose chicken. She loves it.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14162","attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-23536","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"640","height":"548","alt":"rebecca2"}}]] Expresses herself through painting Rebecca likes to paint, through which she expresses herself. “When she was growing up, we noticed that she was dedicated to painting. After school, she kept on painting. In fact, whenever she finds time, she paints. All her paintings reflect what she witnesses. We can say that she expresses herself through colours and drawings.” Moreover, the teenager is a fan of Chinese movies. “She likes to watch TV. Programmes that she likes include ‘Des Chiffres et des Lettres’ and ‘Question pour un Champion’. She knows exactly when her favourite programs are on TV and she will ask us to put on the TV.” Rebecca is also a sports lover. When she was in the specialised school, she used to take part in athletics and she has won many medals till date. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14161","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-full wp-image-23535 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"400","height":"400","alt":"rebecca"}}]]Journey to India In December 2015, Rebecca was selected to go to India to represent Mauritius for a convention. This was the first time that Rebecca went out of the country and travelled so far. Her family was afraid that she could not handle this journey and she would be afraid of the sounds of the airplane but Rebecca surprised everyone. As stated by her aunt, she was calm and serene all along. “Everything went well. She was very happy with her journey. She expressed her joy through a painting. She drew a rickshaw and her friends travelling to India.” After her return, her aunt has seen further improvements and a will to do something in Rebecca. “Earlier, I had to bathe her but since she came back from India, she does it herself.” A shopping and music lover Even if she cannot sing, she repeats whichever song she hears. She likes to hum songs she hears. She appreciates music a lot. Despite her difficulties, Rebecca is a shopping lover. She loves to go to for shopping in hypermarkets. “She does not choose her dresses personally but she knows what to wear. If she does not like a dress, she will not wear it. She will say no. When we go out, she will only wear her shoes. She likes to prepare herself. She likes dark colours,” her aunt confides. Her family wishes that she keeps on progressing in life. “Since all these years, we have seen Rebecca growing and improving a lot. Ever since she joined Autism Maurice, she likes to go school. She has learned a lot. We all wish to see her integrate society and live a decent life. She is a fighter. She is trying her best to cope with life. Given the right opportunity and with so much encouragement, she will be independent one day,” Marina states.