The day we received Parth’s diagnosis in February, we made a promise to ourselves: we would not wait. The importance of early intervention was clear, and we knew that every day mattered. Without delay, we enrolled him for therapy.
In the first week of March 2018, Parth began his sessions. The schedule was intense, four to five times a week after school, including speech therapy, behavior therapy, and occupational therapy on same day. For such a small child, it was a lot. For us as parents, it was overwhelming too, managing school, travel, therapy, and emotions all at once. But we were determined to give him every possible chance.
Most of the therapy sessions were taken by his mom, who carried Parth back and forth, sat through the sessions, and worked with him patiently as guided by the therapists. At the same time, every update, every discussion, and every decision was something we shared together as parents. Whenever reviews or doctor consultations were scheduled, we both went. It was never a one-sided effort, it was a family journey, with each of us contributing in different but equally important ways.
The very first session is still fresh in our memory. Parth resisted sitting at the table, turned away when spoken to, and cried when new tasks were introduced. It was painful to watch, but the therapists remained calm and patient. They broke activities into smaller steps, praised him for even the smallest attempt, and gently guided him back each time he drifted away.
And then came a moment of light. During a rhyme activity, Parth clapped along with the therapist. It may have looked small from the outside, but to us it was a breakthrough. It showed that he could engage, connect, and respond. That single moment gave us the strength we needed to continue.
From that week onward, therapy became part of our daily life. It was not always easy, there were tears, resistance, and exhausting days. But there were also small wins, and with each one, hope grew stronger. Early March 2018 was not just the start of therapy; it was the beginning of a new chapter, one of patience, resilience, and learning to celebrate every little step forward.