Our story

It all started when my daughter was two. She was the perfect child, always happy and laughing (I knew later that it was autism), always calm, always keeping herself busy. All my friends were really jealous! 

But She was waking up every night laughing or crying and We had no way of putting her back to sleep. 

While complaining to my sister about it, she suggested Autism, that I immediately discarded as an option since my daughter was smart!

After two or three months, while I was peacefully making lunch while listening to a youtube video on Autism, that’s when it hit me hard. 

I felt struck by lightning each time the doctor on the video described a trait of autism. She had them all! How did I miss it? Why didn’t I listen to my sister? Why didn’t I know anything about autism? 

I run to my husband crying, and to my surprise I couldn’t finish the sentence. Not because I was crying, but because I felt that if I say it out loud it would mean it’s true. 

After what felt like a long time and seeing my husband panic, I could finally get the sentence out of my mouth: “Neyssane has autism”. 

I still feel guilty about announcing it to him this way.

I felt helpless and my “research” superpower kick in, if I don’t have the answer, somebody has. The next morning I started calling all autism schools in the area and one of them, actually the best, accepted to take her for an evaluation. 

My 2 years and 4 months’ baby was going to spend the day at the last place I would imagine her going to. And after what felt like the longest day in my life, we were at the director’s office waiting for him to give us the diagnosis. Alhamdolillah, this time I was not alone, I was with my husband in there and my whole family was waiting in the parking lot. I still remember his words “your child mam is truly autistic”. 

With these words, I could not longer bargain for a better diagnosis. I wanted to cry, but even that I couldn’t do because my parents were outside and my pride kept me from showing weakness. 

We decided to enroll her immediately at this school, and to do that we had to see a child psychiatrist. This was the second most difficult time. 

The psychiatrist saw as for 20 minutes in which she explained in details that we should loose all hopes in seeing out child improve, and that she will end up living in the streets after we die. I still to thins day don’t understand what this doctor was thinking, but that for sure gave me the energy and drive to fight for years – after of course few days crying. 

After one year, my daughter was transferred into a kindergarten and we were so happy at first. Until we realized we was making no progress at all. we tried many schools but she was not really improving in terms of language and communication.

 I started noticing the she mainly learned vocabulary I tough her at home. All the expensive lessons and teachers I spend time, money and efforts taking her to were inefficient -to put it nicely.

 This was a turning point, because i started understanding that I should not rely on others for my daughter’s learning and future, but on my self, because I was the one desperate enough to do anything it take.

First, I took every training I could on autism, special education, psychology, behavior management, Applied behavior analysis and Montessori. 

Then I started working with her under a certified ABA therapist to get better. My love for children, experience as a university professor and PhD in Human Resource Management helped a lot.

It is painful and hard to be a teacher for your own child, but it was a crucial step for who I am today and for Edukania.

This idea behind Edukania started from the desperation and helplessness that I felt as parent to help my child be and do better.

I hope that, through Edukania, I can help other parents get the resources, tools and knowledge I know they need in their journey with their children.