It is estimated that one in every 150 children is born autistic, which in layman's terms would mean they engage in puzzling behaviour that is markedly different from other kids'.

Dealing with that scenario is, of course, not that simple, Pink magazine finds in its February issue, which will be distributed with The Times tomorrow.

While there are no statistics on the amount of Maltese sufferers, what is known is that the number of cases has increased worldwide. But the magazine never thought it would track down a family of not one, but three, autistic children.

The magazine's InFocus section speaks to their courageous mother, whose many plans for her kids went down the drain on diagnosis. On a daily basis, she deals with behaviour that would leave others banging their heads against a wall in frustration - and hers is multiplied by three! But she's still standing, and her attitude is inspirational.

The fighting spirit she displays is tackled from another angle in Pink - in view of the series of muggings that Malta has been experiencing, begging the question whether it is still the safe haven it once was.

Self-defence is looked into from a life coach's point of view and through a snapshot of the world of award-winning martial arts master Carmela Filosa, who was recently in Malta in relation to its Chen Taijiquan Association.

Pink is a monthly magazine, whose executive editors are Fiona Galea Debono and Ariadne Massa. It is published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, printed by Progress Press Ltd, produced by MediaMaker and designed by Helen Cassar Torreggiani and Joseph Schembri.