‘Never gave up on me’: Nonverbal autistic Brookline teen has been accepted at M.I.T.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — The odds of getting admitted to M.I.T. are very slim.

A Brookline teenager, Viraj Dhanda, who is nonverbal and autistic, alongside his devoted father, Sumit, pulled this off.

It’s never been easy for Viraj. He didn’t start to learn basic communication until he was 10 years old.

“I keep telling people that when he was five years old, me, and the entire extended family only had one goal: to get him toilet trained,” said his father, Sumit Dhandra. “That was it.”

Dhandra learned early that his son’s path in life would be difficult.

“We caught on to the fact that Viraj was behind his typical milestones very early on... By the time he was two, he was formally diagnosed with autism.”

After endless tests and therapies, Viraj was not only diagnosed as nonverbal but also as low functioning.

“He would need support throughout his life. He was intellectually challenged.” Sumit said. “Neuropsychology tests we did early on when he was young put him in less than the one percentile.”

When Viraj was about 10, a babysitter recommended A-A-C, which stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Using this, a type of device opened a door to a whole new world.

“I practiced a little with him, and I started realizing that he was not just bright, he was amazing,” said Sumit.

We asked Viraj what he remembers about the time when he couldn’t communicate, and he shared his thoughts through his device.

“Frustrating,” came out of the device after he typed it in. “I was resentful and didn’t like being labeled... I just wanted to communicate.”

“I am lucky to have a dad who never gave up on me,” added the teen.

Soon, Viraj was going to Brookline Public Schools and then transferred to the Fusion Academy in Newton, where he graduated.

It was a boisterous scene when his father opened the email from M.I.T., indicating that he had been accepted.

On his device, Viraj told Boston 25 he was grateful and felt validated.

Sumit added, “I think I shocked him because I was so loud, like I could not believe, like yes, you have remote hope, but really he was battling insurmountable odds. . . like how does a kid who entered a regular classroom on his 15th birthday get into MIT by the time he’s 19?”

Viraj is already thinking about how he’ll use his M.I.T. degree.

“Upon graduation, I hope to put my enhanced writing and critical thinking skills to use as an economist, a writer, and disability rights advocate.”

This was an against-all-odds journey, taken by a father and son who were fortified by a strong bond and a deep love.

“Nothing came easy for us,” Viraj said, “but we kept fighting our way, until others recognized my potential.”

Viraj told Boston 25 that he hopes he can change some perceptions with his interview and leave families like his with some hope.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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