Discussions about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome ADHD and other developmental challenges that your child may be facing
The Velvi Art for Autism Festival is a unique and exciting confluence of nationally and internationally renowned artistes and the autism community to celebrate talent and culture, make friends and have fun. We bring you feedback of the participants - youngsters and their parents - and details on this year’s Festival held over three days in Bangalore recently. Like every year, the Velvi Art for Autism Festival 2017 held in Bangalore recently was ushered in with much anticipation and fanfare. The…
The recent incident of a mother in Bengaluru causing the death of her disabled child has stirred many reactions and caused a lot of introspection in families with disabled children. But what of the larger community? Did we give it a moment? What can we do? What should we do? During a conversation in a little cafe in Chennai with some of the early contributors of PatientsEngage, people associated with VidyaSagar, an organisation for children and adults with special needs, the commonly held…
Rucha Shere, 28, is the first student in Maharashtra with Down Syndrome to have achieved academic excellence. Battling ridicule and rejection intrepidly, she is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Sanskrit. Read her wonderful story as told by her father. Congratulations!! You have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl, we were informed. My wife and I were thrilled. Our little bundle of joy had finally arrived and she looked lovely: small, flat nose, round face and slanting eyes. Her first cry…
Child therapy, specially for those who have neurological issues, without parental supervision can often lead to more damage than help, Seema Lal, child rights activist at TogetherWeCan shares the best approach to empowering parents to ensure the best for the child. I was watching an interview of a renowned person talking about all the therapies their centre offers. Starting with speech therapy, occupational therapy, special education, behavioural therapy, music therapy, art therapy, dance…
Karthik Chandrashekhar, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was only two, talks about his personal life, his family, his quest for employment and his professional life. And his INSPIRATION. Please tell us a bit about your condition I am a person affected with cerebral palsy. I am a quadruplegic, and all my 4 limbs are affected. I was born premature at 8 months. I was diagnosed when I was 2 years old. What were the early symptoms? I didn't cry like all other babies do. I did everything…
Mitr is a vibrant community centre in Chennai for parents who have children with special needs, where you can bond with like-minded families, sit back and relax at the Special Needs Mitr Cafe, or engage in an exciting range of vocational classes and activities held for both parents and kids. Parents of children with special needs may feel isolated and disheartened coping with medical, financial, educational and emotional issues. Mitr is a centre in Chennai for serving parents of children who…
"Convincing the parents and gaining their trust was the hardest" - Prashant Issar, CEO and cofounder of Mirchi and Mime, a restaurant in Mumbai, which has hired 44 Speech and Hearing Impaired persons as its mainstay staff. Read the PatientsEngage interview with Prashant To have a restaurant manned essentially by speech and hearing impaired is an innovative concept. When and how did you embark on starting Mirchi and Mime? I and my partner Anuj are both alumni of Henley Business School, UK…
It can be formidable task to raise a child with either autism or schizophrenia. But when the two come together, the challenge escalates. Deepak Srivastava, recounts how his wife grapples with his 22-year-old son, Soumitra’s impulsive aggression. Our second son, Soumitra, was born autistic. We did not realize it initially; it was only when his growth milestones like walking or talking were not being met that we sensed something wrong. His behaviour pattern too was odd. He would stare awkwardly…
Says Chennai based 26-year-old Kumaran Kumanan, who is an author, a counseling psychologist, a PhD student, an avid Facebook user, living with cerebral palsy. Read his interview on making Inclusion possible. Meet Kumaran Kumanan author of Aanantha Thaandavam, an autobiography in Tamil. The English version of the autobiography aptly titled "CP to CP" Cerebral Palsy to Counseling Psychologist” was released on September 11 2014. Tell us about yourself, Kumaran. I am from Chennai! I have cerebral…
On Fragile X Awareness Day, Avanti Balachander,18 shares her insights of living with her brother who has Fragile X and ADHD. And her three wishes. 16 years ago my brother was born. 14 years ago he was diagnosed with Fragile X and ADHD. I would like to say it was all dandy. And that once we knew what the issue was we could work on it. But man it was difficult. No one knew anything about Fragile X back then, we had to figure it out as we went. We were so lucky Dhruv was even verbal…
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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