SEBERANG JAYA: Annur Raisya Nor Nasir not only speaks fluent English but her accent closely resembles that of a Westerner.
Annur is a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) yet attends mainstream schooling.
According to mother Raihana Annur, a three-minute video was recorded for an English speech competition.
"Annur Raisya wasn't memorising, she was reading a prepared text, but some (netizens) missed this in the caption and criticised her in the comments.
"They questioned her pronunciation and asked why a Malay child was speaking a foreign language, but I don't mind as many also gave positive encouragement," she told Harian Metro.
Raihana explained that Annur is her second child and previously experienced speech delays when she was around 2 or 3 years old.
Now, Annur speaks fluently but prefers using English.
"Physically, Annur Raisya looks like any other child, but she differs in terms of social, emotional and speech aspects.
"When she was 2 to 3 years old, she spoke in 'jargon', or what is often called 'alien language', then echolalia, where she repeated words we said.
"When she turned 6, my husband and I took her for occupational therapy, which she continues once a month at a hospital in Seberang Jaya, and weekly at a private centre," she said.
Raihana said her daughter can write and answer tests or exams in Malay.
"It's just that pronouncing syllables in Malay is a bit difficult for her, so my husband and I speak English with her at home. But my husband and I converse in Malay with each other.
"At home, she doesn't have issues as she can play with our neighbour's children like usual, but at school, it's different because most of her friends chat in Malay," she said.
As a mother, Raihana accepts Annur as she is, having experience raising her eldest child, who also has autism.
"My husband (Nor Nasir Md Amin) is the same (in being accepting), but initially, the family was puzzled by Annur Raisya's way of speaking, as she sounded like a Western child.
"But we let her speak English according to her comfort.
"I have no specific plans for her, but I hope her teachers at school can give her more opportunities to participate in debates and math quizzes, as she enjoys those besides drawing.
"Additionally, I hope the Education Ministry can provide more facilities and schools for gifted children like her," she added.