Tag: neurodiversity

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BloggerSaathi CreativeSaathi

Cranky in Kennedy Space Center – Another Educational Tour

March 11 2006
One day I went to the Kennedy Space Center with my homeschooling group. I was excited to meet a bunch of other kids.

There are many attractions in the Kennedy Space Center. These include the US astronaut Hall of Fame, Mission control, the Rocket Garden, the astronaut encounter, and the heros and legends. It was fun to see the attractions in the Kennedy Space Center with the homeschooling group.

Creative representation by Kabir Vernal

This visit sparked my interest in space exploration. In particular, I was fascinated by Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon.

Thanks Kabir for your beautiful painting. It shows how I imagined a spacecraft taking off when Neil Armstrong went to the moon. Unfortunately, my imagination did not stop there. I used to picture Neil Armstrong living on the moon. Whenever I met my cousins, I would talk about Neil Armstrong living on the moon. While I know people cannot live on the moon, I had great fun imagining Neil Armstrong living on the moon.

January 7-8 2007
When I learned we were going to the Kennedy Space Center a second time, I was very excited. If you remember my Biscayne Bay story, you know that I can get very excited about the 30th floor and other things. Space was another such interest. Maybe you can also predict that the trip may not have worked out as one might expect!

I dashed down the stairs and woke my parents up at 3:30 in the morning excitedly. My mom told me to calm down and said that we cannot go to the Kennedy Space Center this early. I then tried to go back to sleep. However, I was too excited. Hence, I could not sleep. I went down again at 4:00 pm. My mom told me to go back to sleep.

I then woke up again at 4:30 in the morning and saw that my mom was packing food. So I sat on the bed for some more time and thought about the trip. Finally, we got ready. All of us were quite sleepy.

We got in the car and dad started driving. Throughout the drive, I was excited about all the attractions. We reached the Kennedy Space Center and started seeing the attractions. I started getting tired and cranky within an hour. I started saying I want to go back. Aneesh grumbled that I wake him up early in the morning and then do not let him see anything. He told mom that he knew that I would drag him to far away places and not let him see much.

We toured the Kennedy Space Center for a few hours. Since I was very tired, I did not pay much attention to the exhibits. We then went to the hotel. Next day, we went to Disney world and had fun.

As you can guess, this became one more play that my mom and I acted. Of course, mom played Ananth, and I played mom. We always used to have fun making up and acting plays even if the trips did not end up the way we wanted.

Ananth Raghunandan

Kabir’s artwork description-The art piece “Rocket” is a process art, which is partially a collage and partially painted. Kabir has drawn, coloured and cut the rocket and then pasted on a sheet of paper, that he has painted on. The art depicts a Rocket against a backdrop of a sunny day, with meadows, tress and wildflowers below.

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BloggerSaathi CreativeSaathi

What is NeuroDivergent Sibling ?

Having a child with special concerns, has transformative affect on entire family. The first intent on receiving a diagnosis is finding right and correct treatment approach.

And unknowingly, the neuron-typical sibling is overlooked.

This blog focuses on teaching parents how to interact with neuron-typical sibling and also teach the NT sibling to interact with an autistic sibling.

I believe all siblings go through ups and downs in their relationships. If you remember you must have all fought for the TV remote with your brother or sister. Isn’t it?

Also you would definitely agree that our siblings are the first friends in our life.

And I also feel that the relationship with our sibling is most long lasting and natural n

These traits are also common and very true when two siblings have different neurological profile i.e. NT and ND.

As we respect different bodies, it is must that we respect different kind of brain

So when you have a sibling who is autistic, we add additional complexes to that bond instead of thinking of building it into a healthy sibling tuning

As a parent you would worry if your neuron-typical child would get along well with your autistic child? This is natural and you can’t avoid it

BUT

You can adapt certain strategy to nurture a beautiful relationship between your children of different profile neurologically

Let’s begin

1. Avoid intentional attention time

It would be evident and very spontaneous that as a parent out of concern you would pay lot of attention to the autistic sibling and in this the NT sibling would surely be missed and feel neglected.

This step can create jealousy and child hood trauma towards the neurotypical sibling

A neurotypical sibling can be presented with social story where they understand what exactly is parent’s love , and what is to be with a sibling who is little different . If this is started early , it can do magic . So keep this in mind . it is also a good idea to set aside time for both siblings where they spend time with the parent separately as well as together. Thus the sibling would learn to share the parent and their efforts and time too.

2. Be a good listener mamma and papa

Listen to your NT child and validate the feeling of jealousy and resentment

Don’t just pour your advices and suggestions directly

Keep an open ear

Remember as an adult we all find it difficult to connect with someone who thinks and act differently with us , then how would you expect a child connect so fast and easily

Keep patience, things take time

Also listen to your ND child, they would communicate very differently when they feel jealous, try to decipher the cues they give you

Be a problem solver and act wisely to what you listen from both NT and ND child

3. Share positive experiences

Share with both of your children about when they played together and had so much fun. Talk about how ND child try helping the NT child

Talk about to the NT child how when you all spend time together is so comforting and should be done more

Talk about when your ND child liked an idea your ND child shared and vice versa

4. Deescalate the conflicts

Conflicts will definitely occur despite sharing a different mind. Conflicts are common because they are siblings.

Try building problem solving skills in both of your children

It is not just the responsibility of NT child be pro active in it, the ND child should share the load

Try figuring out ideas that help both of your kids to enjoy their personal space and quite time

Let both the children practice expressing themselves and calming themselves

5. Last but the best one is – Seek the similarities

There would surely be traits and interests where both kids are similar

This could be related to their daily routines like watching TV , eating sweets , hugging mamma , playing logos etc
Mentioning the commonalities in your children can help them to like , respect and be fond of each other

Well this is very similar to the fact of how you like someone when they share the same thought process as you. You definitely let this person come into your life with no hesitation

Use this also during a tense moment. I assure you, this will be a positive strategy

Dear parents please remember parenting any child is a stressful endeavour. Accept the fact

Also accept that your two children are different, let them do their thinks separately and respect the personal choice. Both of your kids are individual first then your child

Hence invest wisely to making your children have the most real connecting as sibling

All the best

Creative efforts above and Pet Sibling – Heena Sahi

Creative representation by Vinayak Raj

Creative representation of a neurodivergent siblings is done by a talented 12 year old CreativeSaathi associate from Greater Noida Vinayak Raj.

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Art Exhibition CreativeSaathi

Welcome to the Specialsaathi’s Online Art Exhibition 2022

I m grateful to Shilpi for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the art competition. Each art work was beautiful so judging it was not easy. As such every art created is a wonder in itself . Thank you once again – Monika Saroch (Judge of the SpecialSaathi Children’s day Art competition)

Loved the originality and uniqueness of the artworks. Beautiful paintings by all the children. Thank you for providing this platform to the budding artists. – Jaya Mulraj (Judge of the SpecialSaathi Children’s day Art competition)

Congratulations to all the budding artists for putting efforts in participating.
None of them is less than a masterpiece for me, I wish you all love and blessings ❤️ – Anshul Batra (coordinator of the SpecialSaathiChildren’sdayArt competition)

Congratulations kids!
Participating in an event itself is an accomplishment, and you crossed that hurdle, went further and won the prize!
You have made not only yourself and your parents proud but to the whole community and esp your peers!
Keep going and God Bless you all! Shinjita Pant (Coordinator of the SpecialSaathi Children’s Day online event)

Kudos to all the kids for creating beautiful and mature artwork! Love the way parents shared their child’s work and connected with us. Lots of love and blessings. Shilpi Mayank Awasthi

FREE ENTRY TO THE SpecialSaathi ART EXHIBITION 2022……..….Click here

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parentsaathi Story

30th Floor! 30th Floor!

Biscayne Bay Marriott, June 26 -27, 2007

I have been fascinated by tall buildings for a long time. Thank you Dhairya Pal for your creative representation that conveys my fascination for tall buildings.

One day, I went to the Biscayne Bay Marriott. I was really wanting a high floor. When we got a room on the 30th floor, I was very excited. We dashed up the elevator. Then I slid the plastic card key into the slot. I opened the door and rushed into the room. I relaxed in the room and went to sleep.

I woke up in a good mood. I had been looking forward to this day for three weeks. Suddenly, I heard my dad exclaim that we had lost power. Then I freaked out. I wondered how we would get down from such a high floor. The 30th floor did not seem so wonderful anymore.

My mom said it was ok. We can take breaks and then walk down slowly if the power did not come back. But I insisted that we had to use the elevator. Then she reassured me that we had enough food so we can wait. But I was not happy with that option and continued to be upset about the situation.

Finally, we got the power back. We packed our bags and went down the elevator. In August, we went to a hotel in Chicago. I would still have liked to go to the 20th floor. But my dad reminded me of Biscayne Bay and said that the maximum we could go was the 12th floor!

Bawling in Biscayne Bay

While the Biscayne Bay experience did not work as expected, it gave us a fun play. We have enacted Bawling in Biscayne Bay many times over the years. Of course, I did not actually bawl. I was only upset. But we were creating a series of stories including Anxious in Atlanta, Growling in Grandpa’s House. Meltdowns in Minneapolis, Tantrums at Twilight, and Wailing in Washington. So we called it Bawling in Biscayne Bay.

My mom and I used to enact this scenario many times. My mom would enact Ananth. She would flail her arms and ask to go to the highest floor in an excited voice. I would enact the hotel receptionist in that story and say that the 30th floor was available. Then, Ananth (played by mom) would get even more excited and exclaim “Let us go” in an excited voice. I also would enact my dad noticing the power cut. Then Ananth would start bawling. Then Mom also acted mom and reassured Ananth there was food so we could wait in the room.

Prestige Lakeside, February 2021

While I no longer insist on staying on the 30th floor, my interest in tall buildings continue. So I was very excited to learn that my mama and mami were buying a home in Prestige Lakeside Habitat. I was even more excited to learn that some towers had 30 floors.

Prestige Lakeside Habitat is an unusual complex. It has a mix of 24 tall towers and 271 huge villas. It has a variety from one bedroom apartments to 4 bedroom villas. The towers in Prestige Lakeside Habitat vary between 19 and 30 floors. They divide the towers and villas into parcels. I was very surprised that this complex had a mix of tall towers and big villas. I have never seen any complex with a mix of tall towers and big villas. Ten of the towers in Prestige Lakeside Habitat have 30 floors.

I am fascinated by apartment complexes and study them with great interest. I go to the website and find out all about the apartments in Prestige Lakeside Habitat. I am now so interested in tall buildings that my mama and mami take me around the towers. My mama and mami also have become interested in walking around the towers.

Explorations: My Journey to Blogging

  1. Ackerman A. 2016. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces. JADD Publishing

My writing teacher Ms. Idania Cater, suggested this book. I have not used it for more than two years. Now, it is time to use it for writing my blog!

  1. I am using Obsidian (https://obsidian.md/) to record my thoughts daily. I build my blog post gradually during the week.
  2. Theater and writing: Since I had the opportunity to participate in RASA Day 2022 (https://rasaindia.org/), my mother and I talked about theater and the role of setting and props. Now, I can see why the Urban Setting Thesaurus suggested by my teacher is important. Writers must paint a vivid picture of the setting with words!

Ananth Raghunandan

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parentsaathi specialsaathi Story

My Brand New Ears and Other Tales

10/24/2022

My Brand New Ears

After my first MNRI (Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration) camp in 2010, I went to the Science Museum in Tampa. I saw a hurricane exhibit which was very noisy. I exclaimed that I had brand new ears!

But Diwali firecrackers and balloon pops in other celebrations continue to be a challenge. Even now, I use ear plugs during Diwali and birthday parties. Recently, I visited an inclusive living community in Chennai. I think that these inclusive living communities should find ways to deal with these issues. While neurotypicals enjoy bursting crackers, many autistics find the noise annoying and stressful. These noises bother me even after six MNRI camps and 10 years of Bharatanatyam. I wonder how other autistic kids and adults feel. 

10/25/2022

The Daily Mile

I vividly recall my walks in Weston, Florida. I have been going on daily walks since the age of 5. I used to walk everyday morning and evening with my mother. I remember doing math poems and stories on my walks.

This year, I enjoyed long walks were in London, Bergen, and Bengaluru.  In London, I was going on long walks by myself every day because my mother had to look after my nephew. Some days, I even went to have bubble tea with my mother. This year, we also had many scenic walks in Bergen. Now, I am enjoying walks in an apartment complex in Bengaluru. While I don’t like the sound of fireworks, I enjoyed going on a walk and watching fireworks with my mama and mami yesterday night!

10/26/2022

Homeschooling, Sleep, and Movement

In my kindergarten in public school, students had to sit at the desk most of the day doing work that was not very interesting to me. After I started homeschooling, I could start my day with a morning walk. I got a lot of movement throughout the day. When I was young, I did not sleep well at night, and I was not able to concentrate the whole day.  Sleep disturbance was one reason that I preferred homeschool. If I did not sleep well, I could at least move around, take breaks, and work at my own pace. In addition to walks, I also played twister, riding on the scooter, and other movement games in the porch. I also used to do little activities like setting the table to take a break from desk work.  I think lack of sleep could be one of the biggest reasons why schools don’t work for autistic children.

I started sleeping better after I started the HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) program. My sleep continued to improve with MNRI (Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration). One of the biggest gifts of natya is that now I sleep well at night.

10/27/2022

The Gift of Movement

In October 2022, I started Bharatanatyam classes with Mr. Ujwal Jagadeesh, a senior artiste and a senior faculty at the Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bengaluru. I have had a guru in Chennai for many years but needed one in Bengaluru as I may spend more time in Bengaluru in the future. Ujwal anna talks about the gift of movement. Moving different parts of the body is a precious gift. Natya teaches us to use every part of our body. Movement makes me feel cheerful, joyous, and happy! I am surprised that my coding experience is in Chennai and my dance experience seems to be moving to Bangalore. That seemed odd to me.