Dubai: Meet Ahmed Al Hashemi, a 14-year-old Emirati piano prodigy. From Beethoven to Bach, he plays classics and even composes his own music.
But, Ahmed's journey to musical mastery wasn't always easy – he was diagnosed with autism when he was one year and eight months old.
His mother Eiman Al Aleeli, a former banker and resident of Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News: “I took me many months to come to terms with his medical diagnosis. It had changed my life completely.”
It was in a dream, one night, that she heard Ahmed – who was two and could not speak yet – telling her not to give up on him.
“I understood my child needed me, and I decided to devote myself to him.”
She started enrolling him in extra-curricular classes in the hopes of finding out what he loved best. A chance discovery one day, made her realise, her son loved music. She started observing Ahmed and tried to encourage him to play the keyboard.
She found out that Ahmed could listen to a tune once and replicate it.
“Once when he was really angry, he stayed up at night and played his keyboard. I could understand the emotion he was expressing,” she said.
Ahmed had found a powerful outlet for self-expression.
Determined, Al Aleeli, devoted herself to supporting Ahmed's musical development. After meeting hundreds of piano teachers, she finally met one who believed in Ahmed as much as she did.
His teacher, understood that not only could Ahmed play complex pieces by ear, but he also possessed perfect pitch, the ability to identify notes without reference.
Today, Ahmed’s room is full of accolades and certificates from various national and international music competitions. In many competitions, he leaves adult fellow competitors behind. His self-composed music often leaves his audience feeling emotional.
Al Aleeli's mission now extends beyond her son. She wants to change perceptions of autism, advocating that it's not a disability but a unique way of experiencing the world.
