Cycling wonder kid with autism in Malaysia sleeps better, is calmer and socialises more since he took up the sport
- 14-year-old Uzair, who has autism, ADHD and dyspraxia, has set national cycling endurance records and is preparing for a 1,200km race in France next summer
- Taking up the sport has had a huge impact on the teenager’s well-being and cognitive behaviour, say his parents, and he has the full support of his siblings
From their bicycle shop near Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Munirah Hanim Ahmad Jahudi and Ahmad Syauqi Ahmad Said are preparing for their Tuesday night bike ride. They expect around 50 riders to join the 40-kilometre (25-mile) loop.
Ahmad and Munirah are the parents of 14-year-old Malaysian wonder kid Uzair, who has captured the cycling world’s attention with his remarkable endurance and joy of cycling.
Uzair trains five times a week, cycling a total of 200km to 300km per week – always with dad Ahmad and a number of “chaperones” and passionate riders by his side.
Uzair was only two years old when Munirah noticed his son was performing some repetitive movements and that his speech development was delayed compared to his 13-month-old twin siblings.
“When Uzair started preschool, the speech did not pick up and he always played on his own, but he had good eye contact so we were not sure whether something was wrong,” says Munirah.
At the age of three, their son was initially diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, a condition that affects how the brain processes sensory information, and later with severe autism, ADHD and dyspraxia.
