Our experiments with Autism - A never ending journey

  Hello Readers! Akshat is back with another post! Normally, I provide him with a list of topics to choose from but this time, when I asked him if he had something in mind, he surprised me by suggesting "Anxiety and a Resilient Mind" all on his own. I was genuinely impressed by his initiative. It took him around 10-12 days to complete this short write-up, but it will only take you a minute to read and share your thoughts. So, take a moment to read it, and don't forget to leave a comment! See you, Ritu Rassay Anxiety vs.   A Resilient Mind Akshat Rassay 24-9-24 Imagine you are fond of chole bhature and go to a restaurant to have it. You have ordered it and now you are waiting for it. Oops! The waiting is getting longer and longer and you are feeling hungry and irritated simultaneously. The people around are eating, and talking, and there is a mind-crackling smell of food everywhere. In addition, people’s body odour and the scent of deos and perfumes trigger anxiety and...

 Hello Readers! It's been a while since we last connected, and today I found myself reflecting on a poster my husband put up on his cupboard years ago. The poster carried a simple yet powerful message: "There's always an opportunity in a challenge." At the time, I didn't give it much thought, but now its meaning deeply resonates with me. On Sunday, 8th September, Akshat had the opportunity to participate in an open mic event organized by Nirbhikta, Vadodara. It was a mainstream event, open to all, where participants could perform monologues, stand-up comedy, poetry, and more. When I first saw the flyer, I immediately thought that this could be a wonderful chance for Akshat to connect with neurotypicals and vice versa - a platform for inclusion and to create awareness. Without giving it a second thought, we applied for Akshat's participation. Watching Akshat stand alongside his peers, young people his age, was an incredibly emotional moment for me. I felt such ...

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, des...

 Hello Readers, Yesterday I asked Akshat what he wanted to do in his language session, and he chose picture inferencing. Picture inferencing has been a consistent choice for him since the early days of his language-learning journey. More on that later... For the session, I selected a picture from Google showing Team India celebrating their T20 World Cup win with the trophy. I asked Akshat to interpret the image and here is his interpretation.  As always, we experimented with creating an image on the same topic using MS-Paint. Hope you like it. Enjoy reading and stay tuned! Akshat & Ritu 3-07-24 The image captures the winning celebrations of Team India after they defeated South Africa in the T20 World Cup final. The image depicts many emotions as India won the World Cup after seventeen years. There is pride, thrill, success, and a sense of contentment. I do not follow cricket much but get to know the latest updates from my daddy, as he is a huge fan. People in India are...

  Hey readers! It's been a long gap since either Akshat or I dropped a blog post here. Lately, I have been encouraging Akshat to write but last month seemed to be a writer's block for him. We tried brainstorming different topics, but nothing seemed to click. Despite that Akshat managed to pen a few poems, especially for his dad on the occasion of  Father's Day. Today, Akshat wanted to share one of those poems with you all and a conversation we had over one of his favourite songs, 'Papa Kehte hai' (Father says) from the movie 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' Stay tuned and enjoy! Akshat & Ritu 15-6-24 M. After a long time, you were watching the song, ‘Papa kehte hai’ today… A.  One of my favorite songs. M. Hmm…Do you remember you used to play this song on casio(keyboard)… A. Yess. M. Hmm…You used to play it nice… A. hmm. M. You tried to learn the keyboard(Casio) for a long…Did you used to enjoy playing it? A. I think music is good for listening bu...

  DIL CHAHTA HAI People often wish for many things and expect them to become reality. Dil chahta hai! Yes, we tend to expect so many things in our lives that we often end up cribbing and fussing. But does the expectation always need to be fulfilled? Desires are feelings that knows no limit and expectations many times get you trapped in feelings that leave you emotionally fragile. As human mind always feels that expectations should meet. However, learning flexibility helps in keeping oneself grounded. Having said that, keeping expectations are not always bad. A reasonable amount of expectation is good as it helps in balancing bonds in any relationship. So, let the dil wish, desire and expect but let the mind keep a watch. Akshat Rassay 23-1-24

  21-3-24 This month India is going to vote for a new government. The nation will look forward to the making of a new India, which should be shining as a progressive, liberal and inclusive country. To vote means exercising your basic right in a democracy. It allows an individual to express his concerns and opinions. India is a young country. More than 2/3 population is below 40 years. And I fall in that category. Being young, I aspire to be a writer and as a neurodivergent, I wish for a society that is more inclusive in actions than in thoughts. Akshat Rassay