Care4autism

Early education as put by Rabindranath Tagore should involve two main elements fun and joy. This education should comprise the use of all the five senses and not rote memorizing. In the natural order of learning, children are expected to learn through play where various domains including social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional aspects are taken care of. That is where I think ABT or art based therapy steps in as it gives the child the freedom to do what he likes. It channelizes their creative energy. It is all about participation, parallel talking and fun. Ramam looks forward to his ABT sessions. In my opinion, in an academic session the child is merely taking instructions, while ABT lets the child participate. A little bit of circle time, dancing, painting gives the child a release from the monotony.  One of the most effective uses of art therapy is the ...

The aim of AIT is to help certain specific hearing problems, such as distortions, lack of selectivity, painful hearing, delay in response time, peaks of hypersensitive hearing, etc. AIT involves having subjects listen to electronically modified music through headphones. Each child participates in two half hour sessions per day, for 10 consecutive days. Follow ups were conductd three and six months after the therapy. The theories as to how AIT works, can be explained   a reduction in auditory peaks, a reduction in sound sensitivity, and an increase in attention as well as postulating changes in the middle ear, inner ear, brainstem, and mid-brain. Post treatment it has been reported that AIT has helped some children calm down, have better eye contact and social skills. The treatment has to last for 10days and this is mandatory. AIT does not guarantee improvement in patient undergoing treatment. Younger children in the age bracket 3-4 years are known to benefit more than a 10 yr old c...

There is a growing number of opportunities for adult autistics to seek employment. Sounds like music to one's ears.Some of the opportunities in Bangalore are NITHYA SAADHANA : The contact person is Mrs. Hema Nataraj, No.315,7th main, Vijayanagar, Bangalore-40 080-40907028,9663397673. hema_n1957@yahoo.co.in. The target trade/industries under consideration are Electronic assembly/repair Handicrafts Administration Data processing The target trainees include young adults with down's syndrome,border line MR,high functioning adult autistics in the age group 15-25. Area of work would be wire bunching and crimping, PCB stuffing,  Component formation.The training period would be anywhere between 6-9 months and the select ones with necessary skill set shall be further trained to be a trainer under the "Train the turner" program. AMBA : They work in tandem with schools and institutions that are already involved in the field of special education....

We have been very keen to try pet therapy out, but have failed,  having the courage to do so on number of occasions. The deterrents being  the lack of experience, space constraints, additional work load..... These are some of the common excuses, that we give. It has been established beyond doubt, that  animal therapy for autistic children provides the children with companionship, improves their socialization skills, reduces their tantrum levels and stereotypical behaviors, increases their verbal communication....Companionship is a major issue with our kids, so finding somebody accepting of them is very important. This is very true, in the sense many a times when Ramam is on his own,  I wish there was somebody to keep him company. At the least he could play and throw and catch. Autistic kids are known to take on maternal instincts when looking after a pet, feeding them, brushing them. Hopefully...

 It has been a desire for a long time of giving our autistic son something to keep him occupied. I have tried computer games. I could get him to use the mouse and also keyboard to some extent. He also loved the Zac Browser to browse the net. There remain some challenges here. He tends to mis handle the CDs / DVDs reducing their life span. He also tends to be repetitive, in that he will play the same level or same game over and over. Their are some CDs he has not let go for 7 years !! The music in them or certain animations give him some kind of excitement and he loves to repeat the same.  I have always wanted him to play some video games. Somehow he does not correlate the use of the arrow keys with the movement of the object on the screen. If only their could be a more intuitive input device. My previous post on the sixth sense technology was on visual clues. That will take a while to hit the markets. So when I heard of Wii by Nintendo, ...

This is a list of schools,  part of the  data bank we made before moving to Bangalore.  I do not much about the schools in the sense I have not visited them. Should any of you visit these centers’ /schools please give us  your feed back as other readers would also benefit.The list comprises of mainstream schhols supporting inclusive education and also activity centres offering various therapies.  I shall keep updating this list as I get more inputs. Integrated montessori "Around the Child”based at Vijayanagar. Sanjeevani Montessor i Jai Bharat nagar, the contact person is Kalyani Ganapathy 9886396693.  Premji Occupational therapy centre (Sumitra - 9980155414).  ABA  Suruchi Sancheti (9980135754). Winds o' Change run by Manjit Kochar. Her contact numbers are +91 80 41150897 Mobile: +91 98456 99451. Sai Foundation   , Hal second stage, near National Public school. This is a Montessori set up and the name of the principal is MS,Sha...

This was a Sunday with a difference. We,  along with other parents were on a mission to pledge our support for the cause of autism.  On Sundays, we are generally twiddling our thumbs wondering what to do.  6 th December was a Sunday well spent.  The highlights of the walk include ·          Flagging of the walk and release of the IRC  calendar by the governor of Karnataka. ·          Panel discussion by parents on various issues concerning autism. ·          An announcement by Mrs. Hema Nataraj, an experienced special educator and a parent at that, of the establishment of NITHYA SADHANA, a vocational initiative to provide young adults with Down syndrome, mild MR, and high functioning autistics an opportunity to work . This was extremely well received with a thunderous round of applause. Membership forms for a nominal amount of Rs.100 w...

This is a snack that is really crunchy, mouth watering and easy to make. Dosa batter 1 cup Jeera/cumin seeds 1 tbsp GFCF sooji 4 tbsp Soda 1/4 tsp Salt as per taste Oil to deep fry Take thick dosa batter add jeera,  sooji, salt and soda. Take the batter, make  small rounds by hand and deep fry in oil. One can have it with chutney . It is delicious  in  itself.  It is another story that,  I am yet to learn how to pronounce it. Also check my other GFCF snacks at  GFCF snacks .

There are various sections in the IT Act that provide deductions ranging from Rs 50000 to Rs 75000 under section 80DD. It requires a disability certificate to claim. I found this site which covers various forms and the benefits. I encourage you to read it. There are lot of queries raised and answered lucidly. Please see  Income Tax benefits for Autism .

The Govt of India has an insurance scheme aimed to  improve the lives of persons with Autism and other disabilities.   Niramaya is a health Insurance scheme for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation.and Multiple Disabilities. My understanding is it provides a cover of Rs 1 Lakh and the annual premium is in the range of Rs 100 or so. For persons below poverty line the premium is to be subsidized by the state/central govt. It is launched selectively only covering about 10 districts and will be monitored by the .National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation & Multiple Disabilities, a Statutory Body under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India. Currently I dont think its available across the country.  The scheme provides health cover, but I wonder for Autism, you need to give various therapies and with no clear approved line of medication / therapy. How can any ho...