Father gives up 75% of his salary to study speech therapy and help his autistic son Joaquim's birth was described by his father Anderson da Cruz as the most beautiful moment of his life. However, I didn't imagine at the time that the arrival of their first child would transform not only their family routine, but their entire professional trajectory and their sense of purpose. After the boy was diagnosed with severe autism, he made a radical decision: abandoning an established career in the financial sector to study speech therapy. The objective was to bring technical knowledge into the home and become an active agent in the evolution of Joaquim's speech and autonomy. "Who knows, maybe if I study speech therapy, leave the financial market and do something else that will help my son develop his speech, bring knowledge to his benefit. That's what I did, and today I earn 1/4 (the equivalent of 25%) of what I earned before Joaquim was born. I say that I'm much happier in the purpose I have in life today." ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Anderson da Cruz alongside his son Joaquim NSC TV/Reproduction Diagnosis, shock and new reality In the first few months, Joaquim was a smiling and calm baby, but around the sixth month, some signs began to attract attention. Unlike other children, he did not crawl and started walking early at seven months, showing excessive jumping behavior. At the age of 1, the boy stopped interacting and spent hours rotating objects in the same position. Confirmation came from a neurologist. "He looked at him and looked at me and said: Dad, it's severe autism. If it's not treated, you won't be able to cope in the future. Our ground has fallen," he recalled. Anderson reported that at that moment he realized that fatherhood would require dedication far beyond what was expected, and that a 15-year career in the financial market no longer made sense. He says he felt the need to look for tools that could directly help with his son's development, especially in communication. The dedication routine is rewarded by Joaquim's temperament, whom his father describes as an "incredible, super loving, happy and friendly child". For Anderson, his son is pure love and shows an affection that makes any challenge lighter and is no longer measured by numbers in the financial market, but rather by his son's progress and smile. Anderson da Cruz and his wife with their son Joaquim NSC TV/Reproduction Atypical parents and routine of learning, presence and love Anderson's story illustrates the challenges of atypical fatherhood, which for many parents comes accompanied by an extra dose of dedication. He learned from his wife that being the father of an autistic child requires never giving up and always being present. And when the challenge of being an atypical parent is alone? José Roberto de Souza's journey as a father began unexpectedly when Ágatha entered his life, around the age of 9. What began as a family life turned, years later, into a lifelong commitment to care and protection. Around eight years after the first contact, José took full responsibility for raising the girl, who was already a teenager. After the separation from Ágatha's mother and the abandonment suffered by the young woman, she sought refuge in his house. José Roberto raises Ágata alone, abandoned by her mother NSC TV/Reproduction Faced with his stepdaughter's vulnerability, he did not hesitate to welcome her and take on the responsibility of raising her alone. "I had no idea what it was like to take care of an atypical child alone, but I adapted and then started to have a routine with him, but it is very difficult to raise him alone", he says. Although Ágatha is already physically a girl, she maintains the behavior and thoughts of a child, demanding constant and extra attention from José in her daily life. "The main thing I learned was love. Loving a child the way they are is fundamental. And there are things she teaches me sometimes. Being a father means being present, loving and never giving up. Just as I am her father, I am one of my other two daughters. Being a father is love", reiterated José Roberto. Watch the full report with Anderson and José Roberto's stories VIDEOS: g1 SC's most watched in the last 7 days