14 February 2018 01:17 am
The parents suspected that something had to be wrong and took him to a doctor. At a time when autism was still a much obscure topic, there were many a month when that they had to take their son to countless doctors, make him undergo countless tests before it was diagnosed that Malintha was suffering from a severe form of the Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Malintha’s father, Premasiri Perera, described the struggle that the family underwent afterwards. Malintha’s condition went downhill from the onset, with him being unresponsive to the parents, even when he was called directly by name. He was agitated at times and started walking in tiptoes as children with this condition sometimes do. Premasiri explains how they homeschooled him because there wasn’t a single school that had the resources or the experience to teach a child with Malintha’s condition at the time.
But the journey, difficult as it was, had its rewards. Malintha is a talented painter and Premasiri said that he has a uncanny talent for languages. He can translate on paper several languages including Sinhala, English Tamil and Japanese with no formal training.
As with other parents with differently abled children, his greatest worry is caring for his son in the future, when they are no more. With this in mind he is now involved in a project which teaches autistic people to earn money by doing handcrafts. He had to give up his previous job which involved exporting musical instruments and spices to dedicate time for his son.
They have obtained around two lakhs, with the help of generous people. These parents are reaching out to generous souls who understand the agony of parents with a sick child like Malintha. He is to be admitted at the StemAsia Hospital and Research centre in India for treatment in mid February. Malintha’s parents are extremely grateful if any form of help is extended to them in curing their son.
Individuals who wish to make donations should deposit their contributions to A/C number 8590009605 at Commercial Bank and maintained under the name K.P.B Perera. You can contact Malintha’s father on 0785582647 for more information.