Discussions about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome ADHD and other developmental challenges that your child may be facing
Prof Anita Ghai, a leading disability rights activist and academic reflects on her own life, her life with polio, rheumatic heart disease and breast cancer and her persistent struggles with undesirable societal attitudes towards disability. ‘How come you had polio? Were you not vaccinated? Why was your mother not more careful?’ These are some questions that always haunt me. Of course, there are many others such as ‘why me?’ that all of us always ask ourselves. But what can one reply…
Parimal Pandit, Clinical Psychologist and Program Director, V-Excel Educational Trust Chennai describes the signs of depression to watch out for, how fathers and mothers react differently and how a special needs family can build resilience. 1. A journey of a special needs parent goes through many ups and downs. What are the stages at which parents are most vulnerable? (Are these different for a mother v/s a father) When a child is diagnosed with a chronic condition or a…
Hitesh Chowhan, 52 from Bengaluru, shares the challenges of bringing up his son Rishi diagnosed with Autism and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare disease. The constant struggle to make him independent and as comfortable as possible. And of course a hope for a cure. My son Rishi is nearly 10 years old and has both Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Autism. Early Symptoms and Diagnosis He was diagnosed at the age of 5. We consulted doctors when we noticed that he was unable to lift himself…
A chance order by a staff at his vocational centre became a business venture for Kabir Kumtha, a young man with autism. Parul Kumtha, Kabir's mom, founder trustee of Forum for Autism tells us about Kabir's Kreations and helps us with interviewing Kabir himself. 1. Tell us about Kabir. Kabir is a young man with autism. He loves meeting people and going to new places with his family and friends. He is passionate about music and knows thousands of songs and tunes from all genres and…
This one of a kind café in Mumbai provides employment opportunities to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and is full of yummy snacks. Read trustee Ashaita Mahajan’s interview for full story. In the last few years, a handful of restaurants and eateries have opened across India that are creating opportunities for the differently abled. Café Arpan is the latest addition. Could you tell us how Café Arpan was envisaged and what is its mission? Cafe Arpan is the second supported…
As part of our Raksha Bandhan series, Aaryamann and Aarshia share nuggets of what makes their sibling relationship as special and adorable as any other brother-sister relationship. Aarshia,11 is a sprightly young girl who has also starred in an Indo-Australian film on Down Syndrome, directed by Onir "Raising The Bar" Aaryamann, 16 is a football and math enthusiast. In spite of being a brother of a girl with special needs, he doesn't give her any special privileges…
is the brotherly advice from Nishant to Nivriti. As part of the Raksha Bandhan series, the brother-sister duo of Nishant, a young autistic adult and Nivriti share what their relationship means to them Nishant Sriram, 22 is an intern at AMAZE, he likes nature, music and travel. He is a bronze medalist in cycling at the Special Olympics Bharat. Nivriti Sriram, 17 is in Grade 12 and is a voracious reader. She loves animals, music and travel. Both love food and cooking and baking. Akila…
As part of our Raksha Bandhan series, Pranav, 18, a young adult on the autism spectrum and his older sister Nikita, 22 reflect on their relationship and their times together - the fun times and the stressful times. Nikita studied at Hindu College, Delhi University. She is pursuing Masters in Public Health in Sydney and plans a career in mental health and counselling. Pranav is pursuing a multimedia course with AIMS. He plays golf, loves music and is a Radio One fan. An award winning…
I Support Foundation tries to make cafes and restaurant visits a hurdle-free experience for families of persons with disabilities. We speak to co-founder Juhi Ramani on how they are going about it. This initiative is to create awareness and provide hassle free service to persons with disabilities. We, the I Support Foundation (NGO), started this initiative for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently…
Linish Balan, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, gives us an insight into how individuals with autism face difficulties processing and grasping conversations and how his misunderstanding often lands him in comic predicament. Children who are neurotypical or not affected with a developmental disorder acquire language quickly, easily, and without effort or formal teaching. It happens automatically, whether their parents try to teach them or not. And after acquisition of language, for most of the…
Do you have a story or an incident that you would like to share for World Autism Awareness Day?
Which system is most suitable for treating this. in Indian conditions? Ayurveda / Siddha / Homeopathy. to get reasonable progress in reasonable time. The blood analysis shows excess strontium metal and less than normal Beryllium metal. He is 6…
Outdoor play is important for all persons including children with disabilities. In our Live Discussion sessions we talk to a play therapist, an Ashoka fellow and parents of teenagers on the autism spectrum.
In continuation of our series on …
My daughter is 6 yrs old but still she can't talk properly.she can't say one complete sentence having more than 3 words.What could be the issue please help
My son is a very slow learner (60% IQ). I am a teacher. But for my own case i am helpless. My son had epilepsy seizures for 1.5 years as from 1.5 to 3 years age. After so much medication now no seizures from last 5 years but he has become autistic…
Question from Hope Foundation, Mumbai:
We have now 50 individuals of varying mental and intellectual issues being provided with vocational training and simple jobs. What we are looking for is medical insurance for these service users. In Mumbai…
Have you been thinking about creating this dream play space for your child or for children you know who would love to play in such a space?
It's easy.
Kilikili, a network of parents of children with disabilities, began when a parent asked the…
Just came across this news report from California and while this may be extreme, would be great to hear typical issues your child has faced and how you have dealt with it. Do your neighbours accomodate?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-…
This is a question that troubles parents all the time. And even more when a child is on the autism spectrum. How do you know when you should just accept and not push various therapies? Do therapies stress the child even more?
Please share your…
Sesame Street has introduced a new muppet with autism - a girl called Julia. Do you think this will help more people (and children) understand the condition? Or is it too complicated a condition to be shown through a muppet? http://www.today.…
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