MANAS Learning

"I knew something was different when he was 18 months old. But I spent the next year convincing myself I was being paranoid. Now he's three, and we're starting therapy, and all I can think is: what if I hadn't wasted that year?" — Anjali, mother of a child with autism Shape You've been Googling at midnight again, haven't you? You type in phrases like "18-month-old not pointing", or "toddler doesn't respond to name" or "is it normal that my 3-year-old lines up toys?" Then you close the browser quickly, as if deleting your search history will delete the worry gnawing at your chest. During the day, you push it down. You listen when your mother-in-law says, "boys talk late" or when your friend reassures you that "Einstein didn't talk until he was four" (he actually talked at two, but that's beside the point). You want so desperately to believe them. But at night, when it's quiet, the whisper com...

  Building Confidence in a Child Who Feels Different: The Self-Esteem Journey  "My daughter is eight. Yesterday she said, 'I wish I had a different brain. Everyone else can do things easily, and I have to try so hard.' How do I help her see she's not broken when the world keeps telling her she is?"   — Kavita, mother of a child with dyslexia  Your child came home from school today and said they're stupid.  Or weird. Or different. Or "not normal like the other kids."  And your heart shattered into a thousand pieces.  Because you know the truth: Your child is brilliant. Creative. Unique. They see the world in ways others don't. They have incredible strengths—if only anyone would notice them instead of focusing on what they can't do.  But your child doesn't see any of that. They only see what they're not. What they can't do. How don't fit.  They're...

 Every week, I sit across from parents who pull out crumpled notes, their phones filled with videos, and carefully documented observations about their child. "Am I seeing things that aren't there?" they ask. "Or am I missing something important?" These questions reflect the delicate balance parents walk when monitoring their child's development—the fear of both overreacting and overlooking something significant. The truth is, parental intuition combined with informed observation is one of the most powerful tools we have for early identification of autism. You don't need a degree in psychology to recognise patterns; you simply need to know what patterns to look for.  This comprehensive checklist emerges from years of clinical work, research, and most importantly, from listening to parents describe what they noticed first, what made them pause, and what kept them up at night, wondering. It's designed not to create anxiety but to ...