DR RADICA MAHASE
It is often said that if you want to know how to treat a child with autism, look to their siblings, they will show you. Growing up with a sibling on the autism spectrum can bring many beautiful experiences as well as various challenges. This week I am sharing an article written by a brilliant young lady who was awarded an additional scholarship for mathematics, last month. She is also a facilitator at Rahul’s Clubhouse, an autism centre located in Marabella. Here is Sakshi’s article:
“My name is Sakshi Kushwaha and I am 19 years of age. I live with my family of five which includes my mother, father, and two elder brothers. My eldest brother, Dhruv is 23 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. As his younger sister, in my earlier years there wasn’t much I could have done to support my parents other than just existing peacefully and being understanding of his special needs. However, as time progressed, I’d like to think that I became increasingly more helpful within the household. My mother is a homemaker and so dedicates a lot of her time to us children. She has never shied away from any responsibilities and ensures that even with a special needs child, she still does her best with my other brother, Rishabh, and I.
"As a family, we often try to engage Dhruv in all festivities and events, being mindful of not putting him in a situation to be knowingly overstimulated. At times, his meltdowns may seem random to an outsider, but we know that there is often a specific reason for them. Therefore, we try our best to avoid putting him in these situations and in the case that a meltdown does happen, we all reflect on the event and look for the causation.
"Growing up with an elder autistic sibling may seem like it would have taken some adjusting to, but to me it was actually the norm since the first minute I was brought into this world. Sometimes, my brother would seem just like us; other times during his meltdowns, I’d just accept the situation for what it was and do my best not to cause any additional trouble. My parents are grateful for the opportunities given to my brother and as a family, our only wish for Dhruv is that he has a peaceful life where he is treated with the same respect that any other person would receive in society.
[caption id="attachment_1010083" align="alignnone" width="768"] Sakshi Kushwaha, 19, is a national scholarship winner and a proud autism sister.Photo Courtesy - Sakshi Kushwaha -[/caption]
"I started volunteering at Support Autism T&T a couple of years ago. I heard of this NGO from many of my friends and teachers. At one point, I was given a school project to complete where we were to select our own area of research and do a study on it. Because of my brother and my interest in the learning more about autism, I chose to research the discrimination faced by autistic children in schools. Through this, I was thrusted into a world of information that even with my personal experience, I had never known before. With this in mind, when a friend i
