If they had relied on superstition, the two children of Vishnu and Amrita Bhandari of Rurukshetra-1, Ridi, would still be tied with ropes. The couple also went through mental pain when they had to tie their two sons. However, due to the positive understanding of the husband and wife, the sons did not have to endure the pain.

Born in 2064 and 2069, Abiral and Anupam were initially unaware of what physical problems they had.

Autism was confirmed during the pregnancy. The eldest son was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. And the same problem was seen in the second child. Initially, after the problem was seen in the child, she had to listen to many things. However, Amrita did not give up and took autism as a lesson. To take care of her son, she took training in this regard from the Autism Care Nepal Society. In 2074 BS, she started ‘care’ in this regard from a room in her own house. After that, daily life became easier. Because of this couple, local leaders supported the operation of Autism Pathshala Nepal in Rurukshetra. ‘Initially, I didn’t even know that my son had autism. It was very difficult when it was confirmed in his son,’ said Amrita. ‘After starting care, he started improving, so the institution was opened. Now it has proven to be a blessing for many.’

Laxmi Gyawali from Palpa Rampur migrated to Sigdel and lived in Butwal, Rupandehi. Her son was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old. She had not heard the word autism before and has been taking care of her son for three years. ‘I didn’t know about autism. He speaks slowly and although he was developing, there was no improvement. Later, I found out that he had autism,’ she said. ‘I am satisfied with being a volunteer teacher along with the parents, I have also seen improvement.’ She said that she is waiting for improvement through therapy. She said that she came to the autism school after there was a demand for volunteer teachers to teach her son in Butwal. She believes that small things need to be improved, that regular care is needed, and that problems are only discovered when they occur.

Sizan Pokharel of Simaghat, Resunga Municipality-6, Gulmi, has also come to this school after her child was diagnosed with autism. She said that she did not know about autism before, but now that she has learned about it, it has become easier. There are 11 children in the autism school in the Ruru area. Except for two, the rest are living with their parents. After taking shelter in the school, the parents have also moved beyond the traditional understanding of it as a sin or the result of karma. They have come to understand that autism is not a disease but a problem related to brain development. Autism is a condition that causes problems such as speaking slowly or not at all due to the slow development of the brain, not making eye contact with others, sitting alone, doing the same thing repeatedly, not expressing any emotions, and preferring to be alone in one's own style. It is hereditary and occurs due to slow development of the brain.

Children are taught in the school through various training, red class, blue class and yellow class. Junkumar and Tulsi Kumari Shrestha couple provided two ropanis of land free of charge in Ridi Ratamata in Rurukshetra and a five-room building of the school has been constructed with an investment of Rs 60 lakh from the Lumbini Provincial Government and Rurukshetra Rural Municipality. In addition, a revolving fund has been established by raising Rs 2.3 million from 106 local supporters. There is a residential arrangement for two people.

Two volunteer teachers have been hired with the help of the provincial government. So far, 39 children with such problems have received training from the school. Amrita Kandel Bhandari, head of the autism school, said that the school needs a vehicle and a hostel. “Children do not have to pay any fees for the school,” she said, “However, in the initial phase, toys worth five thousand rupees are required.” She said that after learning at the school, children have gradually seen improvements in their behavior, including mowing grass, cooking, giving what they ask for, opening and closing doors, climbing stairs, recognizing objects, obeying what is said, singing songs and forgetting.