Autism Diaries 13

It’s been more than a month that I have not penned down my Autism Diary.
Here, before I start this page of my interesting story, of course about my son Ishan who is on the spectrum, verbal and full of ideas and logic though facing challenges of social communication and comprehension in every instance at every level of increasing academic and social challenges. No, it’s not my attempt to glorify the beauty of so called HFA ( High functioning Autism)- since I believe now after a beautiful explanation of my respected senior Dr. Animita Chowdhury Saha that attributing the label of HFA undermines their hidden challenges. This incident is an absolute example of that. Also, I love to share his views and philosophy out of pure joy of motherhood and to speak out to the world the thought process of this ‘ neurotribe, a neurodiverse group’. I feel, Ishan is still expressing his mind through words, but there are surely many on the spectrum, whose challenges deprive them of this verbal expression but their minds and bodies still think and feel the same way respectively.

So, here comes our story. Ishan is obsessed with electrical circuits, switches, lights and fans. This is a known fact for many and also to those who have been following my Autism Diaries closely.
Since last year, he has been hopelessly obsessed about street lights, their subtle flickers, their times of ‘on’ and ‘off’ at dawn or dusk and things like that. This obsession had been kind of eerie to an extent that he would stealthily sneak out of his bed in the middle of the night, and go to the balcony, stare at the street lights ( our home is on the second floor and right on the main road). He would practice visual stimming by looking at the lights for hours by nodding his head and his eyes would move in a fixed horizontal manner ( much like nystagmus, though for him it was surely voluntary). Disturbing him then would result huge melt down and at times aggression and irritability. It had taken away our sleep too in the family. Over last six months, sincere work with ‘social stories’ and ‘structured timings for street light watching’ helped him cope with the challenges to a manageable extent such that this obsession has started taking the back burner.
Now why this advertisement is linked to this post???? 😉
Recently, Ishan had been following this advertisement observantly. I felt adolescence was slowly creeping in with his interest in romantic relationships. In fact, these developments give special parents a secured feeling, that certain developments are following the right track. Moreover, he is also bent upon being a good husband in future dreams a life with wife and children (  will write that story some other day).
Last evening, after watching this ad ( attached in the link to the video in this post) he smiled as usual jubilantly and looked at me and said, ( he knows Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli and is quite a fan of the latter)

Ishan: Maa, Anushka Sharma is sleeping but Virat Kohli is awake at night. ( smiling). Wife is sleeping but husband is awake to watch Street lights 😊 ( he looked jubilant with the idea that Virat Kohli watches street lights at night!!!!)

Thus, I was proved wrong, and Autism won this time too, motivating me to share this simple and sweet story with you all…

Autism Diaries 12

This conversation between me and my son Ishan recently was the most intriguing of recent times.
Since a year, I have been talking to him about Autism, it’s overall spectrum, the challenges of being in the spectrum and the super abilities that are associated with it. So, now he is quite comfortable in accepting his special abilities, his anxiety and the reason for him to be in remedial classes in school.
So, very naturally crept in, topics of other groups of disabilities and challenges and the special skills and needs specific to them. He met few of my friends using assistive devices, wheel chairs, and having visible difficulties.
Last week, it was one evening when this interesting conversation happened:-

Ishan: ‘ Maa, what if I had three hands, three legs and three eyes. Would that be a disability?
Me: Yes, dear
Ishan: Why? I want to have extra limbs on my chest and my abdomen ( he uses these terms exactly, may be upon hearing from me)
Me: Then it would be difficult to walk, to eat or study. You would fail to read a book on the table with your third hand entering your field of vision.
Ishan : Would it be a disability? ( exact words much to my surprise)
Me: Yes, as it would be difficult to do daily activities.
Ishan: So, if I have one less or one more than the given number of hands, feet and eyes that would make me disabled?
Me: Yes, as there is a general rule for number of organs of the body. Any one less, or more would make it’s operations ( elaborated it for him) quite difficult. Hence, it would be a disability.
Ishan: But Gods and Goddesses at times have ten hands, ten legs, three eyes, three heads. So they should be more disabled. How come they have super powers??????

( in last few days after that conversation, I tried to explain it to him, that we imagine a God / Goddess & and draw Him / Her with a picture or make an idol or statue. They are so strong and powerful that they can do many works at a time. So, we frame deities in these forms. God has no real shape, form or gender….)
But our little guy is yet to come to terms with this new concept!!!

Autism diaries 11