MBR senior record consultant Edwin Yeoh said that it is an extraordinary achievement because autistic children usually have a short attention span and are easily distracted.

“Rashwin did two attempts (virtually) in which he didn’t do well, but for the third attempt we thought of doing the flashcards physically because he is used to it. And he finally achieved the record-breaking feat,” he told reporters at the certificate presentation here today.

He said that the previous record was held by a boy, aged five, from Negeri Sembilan, early this year.

“I think that even for adults, if they were tested in a similar manner, some wouldn’t be able to get half the number of what Rashwin did,” he said.

He said Rashwin’s application to take part in the event was submitted by his father, Kalithas Selvaraju, 40, a data manager.

Yeoh said an application by a seven-year-old, who can identify 215 flags in 12 minutes, had been turned down because Rashwin did it in a shorter time.

Rashwin’s mother Krishnarani Balakrishnan, 36, a former insurance manager-turned-homemaker, said she noticed Rashwin’s talent when he was only 2-1/2 years old; he had shown interest in pictorial dictionaries, as well as shapes and colours.

“As for future plans, we want to give him some time before attempting to break his own record. We want to continue to advocate for autism and to inspire more parents to understand their autistic child better.

“Personally, we want future generations to understand autism. For schools, it would be great if they can incorporate autism awareness in education as there are a lot of cases where autistic kids are bullied,” she said.

Rashwin is the couple’s second child.