Hi, my name is Nadeeya and I am a mother to a son, Arif who was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) at a young age of 3 years old. He is a high functioning, mildly autistic child. With tremendous support from amazing therapists, society, family and friends, we are able to give the best therapy for him to get through his daily life well, and he has been progressing well too.

This story however is not for him. We have been lucky to have the financial and emotional support to give good therapy for Arif, but that is not the case for many children living with ASD.

Raising a child with special needs is not easy. We pour in sweat and tears and bringing up our children and try our best to give the best support for them to lead life as normal as possible. We have to have the upmost patience with them and not many of us have the skills to do so, which is why therapy is one of the best support we could give to our special needs child.

Children with Autism are also almost always misunderstood by the public whom don't fully understand their condition, therefore an increase in awareness to the public is also something we need to look into.

Furthermore, therapy doesn't come cheap. It costs a lot, sometimes to the thousands in a month, which not many families out there can afford too.

This is where NASOM comes in. NASOM (The National Autism Society of Malaysia) promotes awareness to the public about Autism as well as providing education and therapy for those in need. Their goal is to provide affordable therapy and support for those with Autism and with this, continuous support and understanding is needed by the public.

This way, persons with Autism can have a chance to get the proper support and therapy they need, especially to those whom might not be able to afford care. 

So I urge my fellow family and friends and the public to support this cause that is very close to me & Arif's heart, for the better life of all those with ASD around Malaysia.