S’porean boy with autism, 18, delighted when 2 classmates show up for his Hari Raya celebration

Recently in April, Muslims in Singapore celebrated Hari Raya Puasa.

On May 8, TikTok user Indrie posted a 16-second video about her son, Danish, inviting friends over to celebrate the holiday with him for the first time.

18-year-old Danish has autism, and according to Indrie, had a rough start at school.

As such, he and his family were all “anxious if [his friends] would turn up”.

Wanted to invite friends after seeing his sister do so

Speaking to Mothership, Indrie shared that after seeing his elder sister invite her friends over for Hari Raya, Danish wished to do the same.

Indrie said she was surprised because Danish had an “unpleasant start” in his first year at ITE College Central, due to “social challenges”, perhaps stemming from his autism.

She did not want to discourage him, but was worried that no one would turn up as he had “didn’t have any close friends to start with”.

However, Danish was “very sure” of his decision.

Indrie thus suggested that he invite a few classmates whom he interacts with often and had befriended him.

To manage Danish’s expectations that not everyone he invited would show up, Indrie tried to mentally prepare him and encourage him positively.

She shared that she explained to Danish that some classmates might already have plans on May 6, a Saturday. “So let’s think positively,” she said.

Indrie said Danish agreed with and understood the points she had raised.

Preparation for the festivities

They ended up preparing and printing invitations for the gathering for 10 of his classmates about a week in advance.

However, it was not an entirely smooth process.

Indrie said that Danish created the invitations himself on Microsoft Word, but later found out the printer at home had run out of ink.

The family thus had to order more ink at the last minute.

Danish was “very worried that [the ink cartridges] won’t come on time”, but thankfully, the order Indrie placed came two days later.

On May 4, two days before the open house was supposed to take place, he gave out his invitations to selected classmates.

Danish was anxious to the point that on the day of the gathering, he was still checking his handphone for any messages from his friends, and would message them to ask if they were coming.

The celebration

Thankfully, on Saturday, two of Danish’s classmates arrived to celebrate with him.

In the TikTok video, they could be seen scooping up food onto styrofoam plates, and eating together with Danish at the dining table.

Danish could be seen laughing, joyful that his friends came over to celebrate with him.

Finally, the video ends off with a photo of Danish, his brother and his two friends who visited.

Indrie said that Danish was really “happy and thankful” to be able to host his friends.

She also said she felt relieved, and that this changed the negative perception of his classmates she had due to Danish’s “unpleasant start” at school.

“They are nice and caring students. He showed them his room, ate with them.”

Indrie mentioned that in between hosting his friends, Danish wanted to nap, as that was his typical routine.

However, she convinced him to stay awake until his friends left.

Autism and brain cancer

Indrie shared that Danish has high-functioning autism.

Since young, he has attended speech development, occupational and social therapy.

Danish has also participated in various treatments to improve his attention deficit and strengthen his immunity.

At age eight, he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

She shared that all the therapy sessions, along with his regular cancer treatments, resulted in some side effects such as hair loss and stunted growth.

It affected him greatly, giving rise to more frequent meltdowns, a shorter temper, lowered self confidence and low drive.

According to Indrie, “managing his autism and brain cancer was the toughest fight”.

Indrie said that other alternatives to improve his health, such as using essential oils and antioxidant drinks, have given Danish the ability to cope with longer school days.

Netizens’ reactions

Many TikTok users were touched by the kindness of the two classmates who came.

“His face is like a matrep (punk), but his heart is pure. Jokes aside, this is called true friends. Love it.”

Others volunteered to join Danish the next time he invited people over.

Images via @indrieyatie/ TIkTok.