"I will continue learning about autism every day to support my grandson."

Logan is a loving, family-oriented, very active, and good-natured six-year-old boy who always has a smile on his face, even when he's woken up for school. He loves swimming and lemon ice cream, and he can entertain himself by looking at picture books, doing puzzles, or playing with letters and numbers. That's how his grandmother, Nuria Mengual , describes him—surely one of the people who knows him best.

I'm meeting Nuria for coffee and a chat. Before we meet, she follows her usual daily routine: she goes to pick up Logan from his house and, since he's quite sleepy today, she picks him up, they sit down in the armchair, and she sings him "the good morning song." "The psychologist at the CDIAP (child development and early intervention center) told us at the beginning that to help him learn daily routines, we could accompany each activity with a song, so I learned different songs for different times of the day," she explains. And when Logan opens his eyes and hears the song, the first thing he does is smile, a smile that surely makes up for his grandmother's early start. "For us, it's a real advantage that he's always happy and that his tantrums pass quickly," she says. And then the routines continue: getting dressed, washing his face, going to the bathroom, and leaving the house for school. And until the afternoon, when she'll come back to pick him up, she'll play with him in the park for a while and give him his afternoon snack and dinner. She tells me that her son travels a lot for work and that her daughter-in-law is also working all day, so these duties often fall to her, but she assures me that she doesn't mind at all: "The truth is that I have no other more important purpose in life than taking care of my grandson; my greatest dream has always been to be a grandmother, and that's what drives me."

And it's clear that her grandson is her driving force, because from the very moment they were told he had autism, she hasn't stopped searching for information, courses, talks, therapies… to improve Logan's quality of life . Nuria is truly an expert on autism, although she still believes, as she says, that "she could still do much more."

I have no other more important purpose in life than to take care of my grandson; my greatest dream has always been to be a grandmother and that is what drives me.

It is this curiosity and interest that has led her to participate for the past two years in the Mutual Support Group (GAM) for grandparents of the Aprenem Autisme association. There, she shares space, experiences, learning, and concerns with others who, like her, want to have as much information as possible about autism to help their grandchildren. "If you see me as an expert, in this group I've met a grandmother who completed a two-year master's degree at university on autism and Down syndrome just to help her grandson," she says with admiration. Thanks to the GAM, she has also been able to anticipate some of the situations that may arise later and learn to manage challenging aspects with her grandson, such as toilet training or mealtimes. They have also formed a WhatsApp group where they share information about seminars, talks, and other activities that might be of interest.

Early signs of autism

Growing up with autism accompanied

Until he was a year old, the family didn't notice any signs that might lead them to suspect Logan had a developmental disorder. But it was then that they became concerned because he didn't respond to his name. When, during a visit to the pediatrician, he warned them that he had seen some signs consistent with ASD, they were "frozen," as she describes it. "They told us he would have a functional life, that he would be independent, and that he would surely speak. But he's six years old and he doesn't speak." For Nuria, Logan's lack of speech is a major concern , even though he understands everything: "There are 30% of autistic children who will never speak, and I think, what if Logan falls into that percentage?" That's why every small step with language is a great and hopeful achievement for everyone : "The other day he said his first word in Thai, because his mother is Thai, and he also said 'I don't want to' and 'where are they' in Spanish on Three Kings' Day," she explains, emphasizing the importance of these milestones for her.

Driven by this concern that he might eventually speak, and driven by her desire to discover something new each day to improve her grandson's life, she found assisted natural language , an alternative and augmentative communication system that she says is working very well for them. "It's a personalized assisted communication program that grows with him and adapts to his needs." The whole family has had to be trained to use it, but they have done so with enthusiasm, seeing that Logan is increasingly "communicative."

In addition to using this system, Logan has weekly speech therapy sessions and visits with a psychologist at home, and for months an occupational therapist from Aprenem Autisme has helped him manage mealtimes better. Nuria emphasizes the importance of good coordination between all the therapists who work with her grandson and the school, "so that we're all on the same page."

Ask the expert

How to improve communication with a person with ASD

School, integration and the future

“My son was very saddened by the thought of being bullied at school , but from the first day, the teachers told us, ‘As long as he’s here, this won’t happen,’ and so far, that’s true.” Nuria is very happy with the public school her grandson attends, where an educator from the Intensive Inclusive Schooling Support (SIEI), a service provided by the Generalitat of Catalonia, accompanies him all day. But not only that, she’s also pleased with the effort of the entire teaching staff to learn about and train in autism, and with the attitude of his classmates: “It’s wonderful to see how they take care of him, accept him as he is, hold his hand, invite him to birthday parties… Because, even though he doesn’t speak, he communicates in his own way.”

As long as I can, I will continue learning, researching, and informing myself to help my grandson grow up and be happy as an autistic person.

However, "Logan's progress is slow, but we see him improving little by little," acknowledges Nuria, who says she prefers to focus on the present and "not think about the future, because it's a big question mark." What she is certain of is that nothing will stop her from continuing to learn, explore, discover, and stay informed , and from surrounding herself with experts who can help her grandson grow and be happy despite being autistic. And she warns: "On the internet, you see therapies that may seem wonderful, but they're scams, and they only tell you what you want to hear to get your money. That's why it's important to get information from reliable sources, consult autism experts, and understand that everything takes time."

Nuria, like any other grandmother, loves to care for and be with her grandson as he grows up. She gives him all her time and all her love, and Logan rewards her with his gaze, his smile, his kisses, and a unique way of communicating that often doesn't require words.