Care4autism

Children with autism can’t show affection . This is one of the most devastating myths. Autistic children express their love and feelings differently. Children with autism are actually geniuses . Only one in ten people with autism have what are termed “Islets of ability or intelligence”. Like other children, the IQ’s of children with autism range throughout the scale. Children with autism don’t speak . Many autistics develop good functional language while most others learn to communicate through sign language, pictures, computers or electronic devices. Children with autism choose to live in their own world . Autistic behaviors arise from the different wiring inherent to the disorder. Some are hypersensitive to sounds, light, touch.Howe ever with regular intervention and therapies this is necessarily not the case. Children with autism are spoiled kids.   This myth brings the curse of autism back to the parents’ door. In their own words “there are still many parents and, yes, profession...

Sabudana Vada/sago patties Sabudana /sago----50g Potato----1 medium sized Ginger---1/2 ts p grated Salt to taste Coriander leaves finely chopped----1 tsp. Garam masala-1/2 tsp                        Soak the sago for 2 hours . Mix all the ingredients mak e it into a ball. Flatten it with you hand and deep fry. This is a Maharashtrian snack Dal vadas ·          Parippu vada Chana dal-100g Giger-1/2 tsp grated Coriander leaves finely chopped-1tsp Salt to taste.                           Soak the chana dal for 2 hrs. Grind it coarsely to form a paste, add the other ingredients. Deep   fry in oil. ·          Urud dal vada Urad dal vad...

Tofu Koftas. Throw the tofu, the firm one bought from the store into the freezer, overnight. Thaw it completely when you need to use it. The freezing process changes it into a more chewy texture, making it more panner like. It absorbs the marinade in this manner. After thawing remove water by tying it in a muslin cloth. T then placed some weight over it so all the excess water is squeezed out. I set out to make tofu tikkas but after having absorbed the marinade for 5-6 hrs after thawing it was crumbling easily. The marinade is the same as used in Chicken tikka, mentioned in my previous post. Hence I decided to convert them into koftas or dumplings. Serendipity :-)  Marinated Tofu-200g Potato-I large one Greenchilli-1 Ginger-1/4 tsp grated Coriander leaves Chat masala Salt Chickpea flour-2 TBSP Mash the potato along with tofu. Add green chilli, coriander, ginger. Make balls; roll them in chickpea flour and deep fry. The Koftas have a minty flavor. One can throw these Kofta ba...

The other day I was trying a recipe with chicken all raring to go, when my husband chanced upon soy sauce on my kitchen work table and that was the end it. Apart from the obvious like the biscuits, chocolates, cakes and pizzas many of us are not aware of the lurking dangers in our own kitchens. Again GFCF followers fall in a spectrum if I may put it that way, because there are families that use separate utensils to cook GFCF. I follow this in a limited way .I use a separate roti   tawa and rolling pin for him. I use fresh oil or a different vessel when I deep fry things for him, when the recipe calls for the use of GFCF flour. There are some families that allow a cup of dahi. This is so because GFCF diet is a self imposed thing that you have thrusted upon yourself and every family has its own permissible limits. But having followed if strictly last 6 months, I personally feel it has to be a zero tolerance to gluten and casein in any form to see perceivable difference. It is a hug...

To give harish more variety we decided to give cooking non-veg a shot. GFCF chicken tikka To make chicken tikka, marinate 250g of boneless chicken 6-7 hours prior to cooking. The marinating paste is a mix of the following ingredients Pudina/mint leaves 150g Tomato1 mediun size I small size onion ½ inch adrak 2 pods of garlic Salt and chilli to suit one’s taste. Lemon juice 2-3 drops Chat masala ¼ tsp Grind the ingredients together and let the chicken pieces soak in it .Heat some oil in a heavy flat bottom vessel and cook the pieces till well cooked. Garnish and serve. Makes 15 pieces GFCF chicken masala For this the whole chicken can be used. Clean the chicken. For 250 g chicken Make gravy as with any Indian preparation with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic Onion -2 large size Tomato-3 medium size Lasung -2 pods Ginger- 1/2 inch. Bay leaf -1 Clove-2 Cinnamon-2 small pieces Cardamom - 2 pieces Heat o...

Carrot walnut cake  1 cup walnuts 21/2 cups finely grated raw carrots 2 cups self raising flour ½ teaspoon salt 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon 4 eggs 11/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup refined sunflower oil 2tsp vanilla essence/vanilla extract   Roast the walnut until light brown, cool and chop coarsely. Peel and finely grate the carrot. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt and ground cinnamon. In a bowl either with electric mixer/hand mixer beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored. Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots and nuts with a spatula. Grease the baking pan; preheat the oven to180 degrees c. Bake for 5-6 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. One can add raisins, it is optional. The first time around I was a little ambitious and added date. The cake got burnt arou...

Never try to manage an autistic; it is easier to engage one. When one is managing one is just clearing up the mess. Instead it is better to keep them engaged. Try not to say don’t do something, instead try and give him alternatives . Be lavish in your praise, it gives their self esteem a boost The initial steps are the most difficult; it only gets better further down. Getting him to sit for 5 minutes to do an activity seems like a herculean task, once the barrier is broken, you will find him sitting longer as days goes by. Making him string the first bead is the biggest challenge. Always think the worst is behind you. When you put a question to him give him choices as it makes it easier for him to answer. Be accepting of his shortcomings, as he is trying harder than you. My personal experience has made me feel it is not always a straight trajectory that zooms once you get started. It is bumpy ride, with lots of UPS and DOWNS. It is important to make him feel he is unders...