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Raising A Child With Autism

Raising A Child With Autism

From the moment the test confirms that there is indeed a tiny ‘bun in the oven’, most parents eagerly await that precious bundle that is a miniature version of themselves complete with daddy’s winning personality and mommy’s good looks. They anticipate the days when their child will run, walk, talk up a storm, grow, thrive and live up to their full potential.

But what happens when that perfect little baby is not so perfect? How would you react to the diagnosis of the child you hoped for, wished for and prayed for has autism? Now, the future that you imagine just got a whole lot more complicated. Buzzz Magazine sat down with Kingsley Moffatt for whom this scenario was very much real, as this man’s journey into fatherhood was not without its fair share of challenges. Kingsley is determined to not let his daughter’s diagnosis define who she is as an individual.

“She is a Christmas baby, my beautiful daughter Kaceylee. In 2012, God gave me a gift. That’s how I see her as my forever gift.” At first everything was right in the world but by the time she was a toddler, Kingsley and his wife realised something was off and the world turned sharply on its axis. “I first thought something was wrong when she was close to one and half. We would call her repeatedly and she wouldn’t respond. Even if you shouted, she would ignore you and sit there staring, but she really wasn’t watching the TV.” Given that his brother, who is a medical doctor, had a son with severe autism, he turned to him for advice and his brother agreed that she was displaying tell-tale signs, so they took her to a paediatrician. Kaceylee refused to let the doctor look at her or make eye contact and would stick her finger in her ears.