This little girl gives us so much hope!
According to a report by AsiaOne, 7 year-old Madhu Barghavi Vijayakumar was diagnosed with autism two years ago. She couldn’t hold a pencil, nor did she even like to write.
Despite this however, this inspiring little girl wrote her very first book, which is now published!
Barghavi’s book titled The Golden Parrot and the Magic Teapot was officially released yesterday at the National Museum’s auditorium, where she read out one of her short stories on stage to an almost full house.
The young girl’s personal tutor, Mahaletchumi Tavamany, beamed with pride at the event, saying,
“It’s amazing she has come this far, a girl who earlier didn’t want to read and write or hold a pencil.”
Three years ago, young Barghavi had poor motor skills and had to be trained to work with clay, marbles, and plasticine to strengthen her hands.
Barghavi first got the idea for her book when she had to write a story in an empty book in school. Her mother, Jegadeswari, encouraged her daughter to write the story after hearing her talk about it many times.
“The booklet only had illustrations as she hates writing but she repeated the story to me a few times so I encouraged her to write it.”
Jegadeswari wanted her daughter to continue writing stories, so she sought out the help of a friend, who kindly sponsored the publication costs.
The book is currently being sold, priced at RM28.90 and the proceeds will be donated to Love Autism Society of Malaysia (Persama).
Barghavi’s mother is undoubtedly proud of her daughter, and had this to say about raising a child with autism,
“Don’t mould your child. What I did was accepting her as she was and try to encourage and empower her in the face of adversity.”
“I don’t see raising her as a challenge but an experience. I didn’t try to change anything in her and she has grown on her own.”
This adorable little girl is without a doubt, an inspiration to us all!
Also read: 7 Amazing Places in Malaysia that Employ People with Special Needs