When Adib Hamdulay was born in 2006, he had a small frame. At school, he was learning and writing slower than the rest. It was when he turned five that he began to show signs of hyperactivity. It was on the suggestion of the principal of his school that Adib's parents consulted Goregaon-based developmental paediatrician Dr Samir Dalwai. Adib tested positive for Fragile X, and by then, his brother Affan was born, displaying similar symptoms. "My mother's brother and my brother are both intellectually challenged, but we didn't realise that this condition was genetic. We heard of Fragile X for the first time when Adib was tested," says their mother Shabana.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder caused by changes in the FMR1. The FMR1 gene usually makes a protein needed for normal brain development. People who have FXS do not make this protein, leading to intellectual disability, delay in speaking and walking and exhibition of signs of hyperactivity. Both men and women are affected but women tend to show milder signs. Dr Dalwai says, "This faulty gene manifests in the male child prominently; whereas, it can be carried ahead by the female child with or without her being affected. The fact that this condition can be diagnosed easily (cost being the only constrain) and with proper counselling can be prevented, is rather unknown."