An Afghan Mom Against the Unspoken Pressure to Stay Silent About Autism
Masoda - an Afghan-American mom shares her powerful journey raising a non‑verbal autistic son, confronting cultural stigma and choosing courage over silence. Her story is a testament to resilience, advocacy and the unconditional love that reshapes a family’s path.
My name is Masoda, and I am a 35-year-old Afghan-American mother raising a non-verbal autistic son. To my knowledge, I am the first in my immediate family to be raising a child on the autism spectrum and this journey has changed my life in ways I never imagined.
The day my son was born was the most special day of my life. I was filled with excitement, hope, and dreams for the future. Like any mother, I looked forward to watching him grow, talk, dance, and interact with the world around him. And for a while, he did. He made eye contact, communicated in his own ways, and always had this spark about him.
Around the age of two and a half, I began to notice changes, almost like the spark started to fade into silence. My son slowly stopped talking and engaging the way he once had. Around that same time, we experienced a series of medical challenges that led to frequent visits to doctors’ offices and the emergency room. As weeks passed, I watched him lose skills he once had, and my heart knew something wasn’t right.
I took immediate action. I got our son into speech therapy and pushed for evaluations. Around the age of three, he was diagnosed with autism.
Receiving that diagnosis was overwhelming and isolating. There is no handbook that prepares you for how much your life has to shift afterward. As an Afghan woman, the road felt even lonelier. In our culture, autism is rarely discussed. Many are told to “just wait,” that the child will talk, that milestones will come eventually. There is an unspoken pressure to stay silent and carry the stigma quietly.
But I didn’t want to be that Afghan mom. I didn’t want my child to suffer from being misunderstood or left behind. I knew that waiting in silence wasn’t an option for us.
After the autism diagnosis, I had to rearrange my entire life. I went from working full-time, to part-time trying to be everything, do everything, and hold it all together. Eventually, the toll became too heavy, and I had to give myself permission to stop and that's when I had to resign from my job to be able to show up for my son. I reminded myself that we are not built to do everything, and that choosing my child and my mental health was not failure, it was strength.
As an Afghan-American mom raising an autistic son, I have seen firsthand how cultural silence can make this journey even harder. Many families avoid talking about autism out of fear, shame, or misunderstanding. That silence leaves parents feeling lost and children without support.
That is why I choose to share our story openly. If my honesty helps even one family seek an evaluation sooner, ask questions without fear, or feel less alone, then it is worth it. This journey can be incredibly lonely, but breaking the silence matters.
By speaking up, I hope to raise awareness, encourage compassion, and help our community move toward the understanding, support, and acceptance our children truly deserve. This journey has given me drive and I am so grateful to be able to be a safe space for my child.
- Masoda