Care4autism

                                    ASHA conducted it’s annual sports meet on the 23 rd of this month, on a Saturday afternoon. The canvas was large as usual. Be it the Ramayana for the annual day, or the sports day, the arrangements are elaborate. From the invocation, to one of the students inviting the gathering, to a ceremonial oath taking, to declaring the games open, to the March fast, drills, yoga demonstration……the works! I had a sense of déjà vu, as the events unfolded for the day. At no point did one feel this is an event organized for special kids. All the students wore a blue t-shirt with the ASHA logo printed on it. The staff also wore kurtis designed by the self help wing of ASHA . The motifs on the kurtis have been designed and block printed by the children.                     ...

                                             Autism charities in more than 40 countries are joining forces to launch a global campaign challenging the world’s 4.5 billion social media users to shutdown their networks just for one day on 1 November 2010.The million dollar question is can you get on for a day without being on twitter or face book. It is an initiative launched to raise funds and awareness for autism. You can make a donation to receive a CHAPP that signals your shutdown across the social networking sites.                                         In the words of Rachael Harris, a counselor and supporter “Electing to shutdown social communication mirrors autistic silence. ...

For those of you on the GFCF diet, millets are definitely a healthier way to go. Especially the health conscious, senior citizens vouch for the goodness of millets. It is a healthier option compared to rice and wheat. Some of them are Finger millet (ragi), little millet (sama in Kannada, koda bagar in Hindi),  jowar (sorghum), pearl millet (sajje in kannada, Bajra in hindi, kambu in Tamil), foxtail millet (tenai in Tamil, Navene in Kannada). The only so called hitch is all these flours is ,they  need to be mixed with hot water, as they do not have gluten as a binding agent. So, here some of the blogs that I came across while looking for millet recipes  http://millets.wordpress.com/  .                                This blog  http://thisissucksman.blogspot.com/2009/03/bajra-roti-simple-and-easy.html   shows you the way to make bajra rotis. Well illustrated with...

                                               These are two restaurants that hold  some promise for a GFCF menu when eating out. They are both as diverse as chalk and cheese. One is Suggi that offers malnad cuisine and have their branches at Malleswaram and New BEL extension. The ambience is good. The service is average. They have some interesting items on the menu as the Suggi basket - Kadabu, neer dosa, shavige, all served in a dimsum basket (how mangalorean is that). Anyway it has to be had with the curries available in the main course. The food again is average. A meal for  a family can be anywhere between 700-1000.                       The other one is Kamath @kamth yatri nivas. This one is on the same road as Sapna book stall. It is more like ...

After a long time baked these cookies.They feel  soft at the centre and crisp on the sides.I have adapted this recipe form the joy of baking. I have used white sugar instead of brown for the simple reason I didn't have it in my pantry. 2 cups (260 grams) GFCF flour                          1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt   2 large eggs, room temperature 1 1/4 cups (260 grams) light brown sugar 1/2 cup (120 ml) canola oil or corn oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup (215) grams pumpkin puree                               Preheat oven to 165.c. In ...

         The S amvaad institute of speech and hearing at Hebbal,  provides treatment for all communication disorders. The Director, Radhika Poovayya,  is a speech language pathologist with 23 years of experience. She is presently training to be a board certified behavior analyst. Under her guidance ABA services are being provided for children with autism at the institute in Hebbal.                                ABA services are now available for children at Hebbal from the 6 th   of Sept 2010.Daily sessions of  1 /2/3/4 hours are available. Individual sessions will be given to all early learners and once the child’s skills improve  child will be introduced to small groups of 2 and 3. All programs will be monitored and supervised by Radhika Poovayya. To quote Radhika “Research has proved ...

As I keep blog hopping,  I am constantly  amazed at the wisdom, courage and fortitude of parents who have been battling autism, in their own way, and passing on their experiences good and bad.   All of it can be overwhelming. Some of these blogs move you to tears. One such blog that needs mention is http://teenautism.com/ .                                Having handled a child with autism for 10 years, here are some thoughts I would like to share.   For one you can never wish autism away. The complexity and the challenges only keep varying. The mother with a newly diagnosed child may want to know all about potty training, while I am out looking for hobbies that Ramam can pursue.   There are going to be challenges along the way. Secondly, what works for your child be it therapy, or if you are thinking of medication...