Talking Fingers - Meet Nishant Sriram

In the third interview in the Talking Fingers Series, let's meet Nishant Sriram, a well known name in the our community. He has won many medals in special Olympics Bharat and is an artist. We begin by chatting with his parents - Akila Vaidyanathan and Sriram Narayan.               

Q) Hi Akila, would like to share a few details about your family and Autism journey so far...  Akila:   I always loved children and when mine came along, I was thrilled to bits . Nishant was an active, happy and loving child. He is very brave and resilient in spite of his problems. When Nivriti had to come, I was 34 and we were warned by family and doctors that she too may have a developmental disability and so we need to go for genetic testing. I refused to test as I had accepted Nishant with my whole heart. She has been truly a gift and a delight ...full of energy and curiosity she keeps us active and grounded. She is very matter of fact with her acceptance of our “different family” as she describes it. My husband Ram is a wonderful father who has strong bonds with both our children. It is with his constant support that we have been able to work for Autism and impact many children and families.

                          

A few years ago, life was not as simple ..Diagnosed at 3 years with regressive Autism he did not learn to speak or write through traditional approaches due to his severe Sensory and Motor planning issues . He could understand a lot but developed many behavioural issues because of his inability to communicate. He was given early intervention, speech therapy and occupational therapy from age 2.5    The turning point in his life was at age 6.5 when we implemented PECS – the ability to communicate reduced his behaviour issues by 50% in 6 weeks!! In 2006 he started using a VOCA device Techspeak – that literally gave him a voice. He uses AVAZ app on his iPad to communicate his basic needs since 2010. To answer questions he uses the Letter chart [Rapid Prompt Method ] as well as an Clicker Docs app  on his IPAD which will convert his typing to speech as well as save it as an editable document .

Q) Your advice to other Autism parents...

           Akila:  It is very difficult initially to accept that our child has a disability . However the key to our child’s success lies in looking at the child’s abilities  and supporting the areas where there are challenges. Every child does have some competencies and we need to enable and leverage those competencies  [I am carefully avoiding the word “talent”  here as it can be misleading ]. Sometimes we have to take an approach that is different from others – Believe in your gut feeling and follow the lead of the child – that will surely lead you and your child to a space where you both are comfortable and  your quality of life will improve. Often we are trying to “fix” our children –  and make them “normal” – this approach will only harm them more as they are wired differently  and may need a different approach.  Our job is to try and find that fit /that approach. Also often we are in a hurry to reach certain milestones – in the process we forget to enjoy life and the joy that our children bring to us. Life is a marathon – not a sprint – so take your time, take breaks, take care of yourselves and your family ..As they say – "Slow and steady wins the Race ".

Sriram Narayan: I was quite skeptical about having children, but when Nishant came along my whole perspective towards children changed – it was a euphoric moment. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks when I held Nishant, for the first time, and he looked straight into my eyes, almost like saying I am yours.

When Nishant got diagnosed, something in me died. I was unable to accept it. I went through a phase of denial and never shared my sadness and anxieties with anyone. I was angry that Nishant was dished out a raw deal in life!!! I went through counselling and self work and over time became more involved and supportive of my family.

Its been an arduous journey but with Akila’s perseverance and support, he inched forward and started communicating to us in may ways. He also started exploring his strengths and enjoying his life. Nishant  likes the outdoors and I have taken him on  treks and long drives regularly.

Nishant always knows what he wants  and is also comfortable not doing anything  – we had to accept that too. He is very much in tune with his being and we have learnt to respect his voice. We are a family of Brave hearts, always willing to take the path less travelled.

     

                                         

 

His AAC journey is featured in the Avaz blog :- https://www.avazapp.com/blog/avaz-aac-user-stories-why-nishant-and-his-aac-system-are-inseparable/ Let's chat with Nishant. Q) Do you remember what you got medals for ? Special Olympics Bharat - Two Bronze for National Level Cycling , Five km and One km categories in 2010 - Two Gold and Two bronze for State Level Cycling in 2010 and 2015 , Five Km and One Km categories Several local competitions for cycling  I won medals too .

                       

 

Q) Do you enjoy cycling? Yes Q) Where do you like to cycle? Mettupalayam road [NH67] , NGGO colony [Coimbatore], Idigarai near the farm Q) How often do you cycle? Three times a week. Q) Do you enjoy trekking? Where do you go trekking? Yes .in the Nilgiris Q) Would you like to trek somewhere else? Himalayas Q) Your parents conduct Adventure Camps. How do you like them? I like the L.I.F.E Camps where we go without our families ..I get bored with the same camps . I like to explore new places to trek and travel. [Nishant has been to over 20 camps since 2011] Q) What interests you nowadays? Cooking, Art and digital Art

                                         

 

Q) What do you like to cook? Soup, Noodles, Stir fry vegetables, Biriyani. Q) What part of the cooking do you do? I do the entire process with some support – I am good at cutting vegetables and adding the spices.   Q)How did you get interested in  Art? I always loved colours and paint. I got confident after the exposure at the Velvi festivals and also after exploring with Digital Art with Amma and Saravanan Sir .

                                       

 

Q) Who was Dr Kalam? President [of India]

                                               

 

Q) You got a chance to meet him .and ask him a question. Do you remember what he said ? I met him in 2012 at a Lead India meeting . I asked him “What is the future of India given the pollution levels and corruption?” He said “The future of India is in the hands of the youth like you “ Q) He is also known to your family in some other way? He was Thatha’s (maternal grandfather’s) friend, they worked together in ISRO. Q) What are your favourite games on the iPad ? Magic Puzzles and You tube Q) Which is your favourite app for communicating and why ? Avaz ..because it has pictures. Q) What is your favourite hobby? My favourite hobby is listening to music . Q) Who is your favourite musician or singer? Carpenters , Beatles , Abba , Jagjit Singh , Kenny G  , Bombay Jayashree and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan are my current favourites Q) What else do you do? I help with the household chores like putting away vessels, helping with laundry, filling water bottles and cleaning surfaces   Q) Do you find RPM easier than Clicker and Why? Yes .I have practiced more with the letter chart Q) Who are your best friends? Gokul and Neel Shah Q) Why are they your best friends. Do you have any common interests with them? Gokul and I would do activities at Amaze like cooking, baking, and cycling together. Neel and I visit each other sometimes. We all have gone for outings , camps and festivals together .   Q) How is your relationship with your sister?  How do you spend time with her? I love her a lot and missed her when she went away to college in Bangalore. I like going out with her to eat and for trips. We also like to listen to music and sometimes watch movies together.   Q) Which was the best trip you went on? Niagara Falls in 2008 , Surfing Festival in 2017. Q) You are such an inspiration for all of us. Do you want to say anything to everyone ..or about the experience of writing for the book - Talking Fingers..  Very nice title – “Take a bow” all of the authors and editors. I hope it spreads awareness about the abilities and challenges of non-speaking autistic people and neurodiverse individuals. So happy I could be a part of this book . Thank you, Chitra Aunty and Padma Aunty.

              Let's Chat with Nivriti, his younger sister 

Q) Would you like to say something about growing up with Nishant as your brother ? Growing up I never thought of him as any different ..he was just a large creature who walked around me, who I always wanted to play with ..and who I always admired and I still do. I always wanted to be as big as him and I never really considered him different and I did not even know that he was different. In fact when I was small I thought having Autism was the norm and everyone at some point of their lives had it and I could not wait for myself to have Autism !! Q) How close are you to your brother ? I would say we are pretty close but sometimes we get a little annoyed with each other ..I think that is normal between any two siblings We bond over music and sometimes food ...because our food tastes are very different. Being outdoors is also something we both really like and going on trips together Q) Did you ever feel that Nishant got more attention than you from your parents ? Sometimes I did ..but I always knew that they loved both of us equally ...so I understood why they tended to him more than they tended to me ..because his needs and wants are different from mine and the need to be attended to more often than mine and in a different way ..I did get a little jealous as a kid when he got a little more attention ..but that’s okay... Q) How do you think having a brother with special needs changed you or is making you different from others ..your peers ? I think being with Nishu has definitely made me more empathetic, because having someone go though pain or some kind of trouble ...it has made me more caring and compassionate and more open minded ..we have someone as different and weak as Nishu in this house nothing will faze me in the outside world. Q) Do you have something to say to other siblings.. I guess ..not to be ashamed about it and to be open about it and if your friends or people you know say mean stuff about them ..special needs persons or tease you about your family then you not be friends with them ..they are not worth it ..   Nishant is blessed with a wonderful family who gave unconditional love and support and encouraged an all-round development. I believe that is the key to raising a child with Autism or any child with special needs – not trying to mold them into something new but help them become the best possible version of themselves!

  I hope you liked reading this interview. Sixteen such amazing non-speaking autistics share their thoughts and insights in our book - Talking Fingers. You can purchase the book on

Amazon India

 

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by the guest in this interview are their own independent opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host and owner of the blog. Readers are advised to exercise their own discretion and seek professional advice where necessary.