PSP marks Mother’s Day with story of Siti Ismail, mother of a specially-abled child

Singapore — Progress Singapore Party (PSP)’s Women’s Wing is celebrating Mother’s Day with stories of mothers who went to extraordinary lengths to raise their families.

In a Facebook post on Friday (May 7), PSP shared the story of Ms Siti Ismail and her son. “We first suspected something was not right when Ayden did not speak even at the age of 3,” she said.

So when Ayden was diagnosed with autism, Ms Siti and her husband broke down and cried. “It was at the staircase landing of the hospital. Those who walked past thought someone in our family had died,” she remembered.

Children at the playground taunted Ayden when they saw that he was different; their parents looked embarrassed. Some preschools even refused to take in Ayden because of his condition.

“How would he grow up? Who would take care of him when we are no longer around?” These were the thoughts that haunted Ms Siti and her husband.

It took them some time to accept it, “but we had to, in order to help our son” she revealed. She continued talking to Ayden every day even when he did not respond.

“There were days I felt like a jilted lover. But I persevered,” she shared.

Finally, her efforts paid off when Ayden started spelling words that he saw on TV. He also became more open as his condition was normalised by his parents.

“He has a curious mind and loves research. Just the other day, he was telling me about acacia trees and how their bark is used for tanning,” Ms Siti proudly announced. Ayden, she added, is sometimes obsessed, playing computer games like Minecraft.

While his interests keep changing, that does not worry his mother, who sees in him all sorts of possibilities. She only wishes him to be happy and fulfilled in all that he does.

“My name is Siti Ismail and I am the proud mother of a specially-abled child,” she concludes.

Ayden is the son of Ms Siti Ismail and Mr Taufik Supan. Mr Taufik was part of the five-member PSP team that stood for election in the Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency in the 2020 general election.

Denise Teh is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG