Dear readers, thank you so much for always supporting our book and our co-authors. The number of views for each interview in the Talking Fingers series is a testimony of your love and we are immensely grateful. Carrying forward our journey, let's meet Aarav and his parents Nandini and Sameeran Krishnatheeram.
Q)Please share your autism journey with us.
Our autism journey started when our son was 2.8 years old. It has been a
long journey since then. He was diagnosed as having PDD – mild autism. He
regressed around the age of 3 and lost whatever words he had in his repertoire.
After his diagnosis, we started him on special education, speech therapy,
occupational therapy, ABA and joined him at a special school. All these
therapies have helped him in their own ways. We also started biomed
intervention for him and that was a game changer. Just a month or two into the
biomed intervention, he started to type single letters, which then graduated to
words, and then sentences. This is when we came to know that he knows so much
and has so much information in his brain. We have also tried various other
medical interventions for him like homeopathy, ayurveda, allopathy for his gut
issues which have been severe right from his birth. He has lot of sensory
issues, eating problems, some anxiety issues, lot of sleeping issues. We have
also tried diets for him for his chronic gut issues and the diet is still on. Over
the years he has shown improvement. We are still striving hard to make his life
a comfortable one.
Q)How did you develop communication skills in Aarav?
Aarav initially started with PECS wherein he would give a picture card to tell us what he wants. This was then graduated to making sentences with PECS. Later he started using communication apps. Currently he uses the Avaz app.
Q)What hurdles have you faced in this journey and how did you overcome
them...
We have faced hurdles at every stage of his life. We are still facing. But the people whom we have met in this journey, like parents of other children with autism, his therapists have all been very supportive and always giving us suggestions about how we can deal with a particular problem. Also, his grandmother has been of immense help to us at every stage right from his diagnosis.
Q)Your advice for other parents, please..
Parents should believe in their children and understand that they do
have capacity to learn. We may have to change our method of teaching any skill,
but they do try to pick up the skill. It is possible that in some areas they
may be very weak and may remain weak all through their life, but we must learn
to accept their weaknesses along with their strengths. For new parents the
first advice would be to accept that your child is different and
neurodivergent. The sooner we accept this the faster can we guide our child for
their better future. Also do not hesitate to share your child’s problems with
your therapists and other parents. They all can be of immense help. Last but
not the least, Do not ignore yourselves or your health. Take full care of yourselves, pamper yourselves. Then only can you be of any help to your child.
Now, let's chat with the star of the interview - Aarav
1. Q) How old are you, Aarav?
I am 17 years old.
2. Q) Please tell us about your school.
I go to “we nurture foundation”.
3. Q)What are your favourite subjects/topics?
Math, art, English are my favorite subjects.
4. Q)Please tell us about your hobbies. What inspires
you to write?
I watch videos on YouTube. I type to communicate.
5. Q) How do you spend your day?
I go to school. Then after
coming home, I relax. Then I will have a teacher teaching me individually
subjects. I also do cycling, play basketball, and badminton.
6. Q)Do you enjoy going on vacations, please
tell us about your recent or favourite vacation.
My vacations are fun. They help
in getting break from classes. I recently went to New Delhi.
7. Q)What is your preferred mode of communication -
writing/typing. Please share a few details.
Typing is easier than writing. I
communicate through Avaz app.
8. Q)How was the experience of being a co-author in
Talking Fingers book.
It was good to talk about
myself. I liked that someone wants to hear what I have to say.
9. Q)Your thoughts on how communication is more
important than speech...
I don’t like to be forced to
speak because I cannot speak. But I can communicate through crying, typing,
gestures and making my body stiff when I don’t want to do something.
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Aarav and his lovely family. Do read our book : Talking Fingers Vol.2 and share your thoughts with us. The book is available on all Amazon stores worldwide HERE
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.
