The 50th Post






Hello Readers!

I started this blog in July 2021 to share our experiences with Autism. At that time Akshat had just begun typing and expressing himself. Someone once asked me what I would write about once our story was told. Now, after three years and 50 posts later, Akshat has taken over and shares his own writings. The journey has been a roller coaster ride and full of learning.

Today's blog post is particularly special, being the 50th post. 

I'm excited to introduce you to Vedant Patil, a 13-year-old minimally speaking (having a few words) boy with autism. Vedant's mother sought my guidance two years ago, for communication, and we've been working together since. Vedant now communicates through a letterboard, app, and typing. He and Akshat often chat with each other using their AAC tools. It's incredibly encouraging and satisfying to see Vedant's progress. His mother often says that she feels like her son is now talking to her about anything and everything, despite his communication challenges.

I hope every non-speaking/minimally speaking child finds a tool to communicate and express themselves freely.

Sharing a conversation (with Vedant's and his mother's consent) I had with him that took place over 3-4 days.

R. Do you watch cricket?

V. yes

R. Do you like cricket?

V. yes I love cricket.

R. Which cricket tournament happened recently?

V. twenty twenty world cup tournament.

 R. Did you follow it?

V. yes I followed it.

R. That’s good…Which team won the tournament?

V. India won.

R. Wow! How did you feel?

V. very happy.

R. That’s so nice to know….Can you rate your happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?

V. I can. 10

R. ok…so, that means you are ‘thrilled’ by India's victory.

V. yews.o

R. What is the word?

V. thrilled

R. Any other situation in which you feel ‘thrilled’

V. eating  spicy teekha

R. Can you tell me any of your spicy favorite food?

V. achar

R. Ohhk…You mean 'pickle'…Even I like pickles a lot…Which pickle do you like the most?

V. raw  mango

R. okay…even I and Akshat like that pickle a lot.

R. See, we started with cricket and reached to pickle…

V. yes this is really good.


Comments

  1. sharadasubbaramanJuly 17, 2024 at 10:03 AM

    So happy to read Vendant's conversation with you Ritu and is progressing well with his Mom 's effort & hats off to Vendant & his Mom .

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnaghaJuly 17, 2024 at 10:43 AM

    Amazing conversation... it's heartwarming!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Introduction

Image
  Monochrome One day I realised what my child had long  known Between my brows a line had grown Running up into my forehead when I was  tense ... and two little fingers stretched to 'undo' it - I wonder how he had sensed He of all people, I thought would not understand. For I imagined him with an aura of question marks around his head They said he was that way blind - as he would could not read people's mind Left all confused and anxious as he would not know - what a person meant when they frowned or raised a brow. His mind, a black and white world....I thought it lacked some colours bold Felt sorry - and that is where it went wrong - I've realised since.... Range needs to be narrow, for depth to be intense. So many unique gift he has, I find it was I who had been, all along, colour blind By Anagha Jawalekar Range needs to be narrow and depth to be intense....so apt...                                             The Beginning It all started 15 years ago (in 2006) when m
Read more

Experimenting with Online Classes

  The Online World That day you shared something, and made me reflect... It was time you had your friends too. Clever of you to pass me the hint!  Hence with guidance, I introduced you to the world of online learning,  and I feel it's been rewarding Coz since then, I have watched you converse, sit for long and listen,  I often see you extending your comfort zone and be available at different times than you'd prefer I can sense that you are able to open up your mind there. I hope you make bonds that last long, that recharge you time and again, connections...that enrich your life. By, Anagha Jawalekar It was Akshat's 18th birthday last month. It is unsinkable that he is an adult now, and I have grey hair and wear glasses now. Time flies so fast. It seems like yesterday when we went to Mumbai and Delhi for the training and did all other therapies. He had a different childhood altogether. Nevertheless, we have come a long way. It gives me a sense of achievement when he expresse
Read more

Coping Mechanism - By Akshat Rassay

Music through my ears So many harsh things floating in the air they are invisible like music but music is fair They give me stress, at times I fear it varies from mild to somewhat severe but music is there. Music is there to  rescue me from the clutches of anxiety from a bad mood to uplift me, calm me It gives me cheer It gives me hope like chatting with mum like writing things down Music helps me cope. By, Anagha Jawalekar One fine day, when I and Akshat were conversing, he mentioned that music helps him to cope. Although, I know about it very well, I thought why not discuss about it in detail. And I started discussing with him on 'coping mechanism'. The whole discussion was in the form of questions and answers but when we ended it, I found that it could make a good writeup on the topic, so I just put together all the Akshat's answers and here is his first writeup on 'coping mechanism'. We started it in November, left in between and then finished it just a few days
Read more