Category: Autism Awareness Series

“No, my son isn’t autistic,” a young mother said, her eyes filling. “He has virtual autism.” Krishna’s therapist shared that this happens quite frequently nowadays. I had to go and look up what “virtual autism” is supposed to be. Some experts use the term “virtual autism” to describe the potential for excessive screen time to…

Let me tell you a story about a common misconception: when someone doesn’t respond, they haven’t heard you. Especially when that someone is autistic. “Krishna, blue coloured ball!” CLAP! The ball was bright, shiny blue. It bounced and rolled in front of Krishna, but he resolutely ignored it. Krishna was about four. It was his…

Part 12: The Future I began this series in response to my son Krishna’s frustrating hospital experience. I am surely not the only autism parent to have gone through something similar, and so I wanted to spread awareness. Autism parents also carry the enormous responsibility of preparing for their child’s future care. Dear autism parent,…

Part 11: False Cures, Real Vulnerability “Can’t we do SOMETHING, Doctor?” Trying to find an answer to that question, after Krishna was diagnosed as autistic, we went for a second opinion. The doctor was extremely thorough. She showed us how to maintain a sleep diary, an activity diary, and a behaviour diary for about three…

Part 10: The Gut, The Brain, and Everything In Between “It is not autism, it is gut-ism,” my mother said when Krishna was six. At the time, she and I knew nothing about the gut-brain axis. And she was so right. A major number of the issues autistic children face are closely linked to the…

Part 9: Therapies, Choices, and the Long Road Between Our son Krishna was diagnosed as autistic about six years ago at NIMHANS. What happened next? Shock, devastation, grief, fear. To be honest, as parents, we didn’t want our child to struggle lifelong just to survive in this world. We were scared witless about his future.…

Part 8: Labels, and the Way We See I started writing this series on autism awareness because I needed to share what I’ve learnt till now on my journey with Krishna. I’ve been overwhelmed by parents who reached out to me to share their own stories. I’ve also been shocked by the experiences of some…

Part 7: Behaviour Is Not the Problem My son Krishna loves to clap and play with his fingers. He also hits his hands, feet, and head against hard surfaces – the walls, the floor,  or my skull if nothing else is handy. Sometimes it’s a gentle knock. And sometimes, not. My husband and I didn’t…

Part 6: The Myth of the Emotionless Autistic Let me tell you a story. A story about perceptions and misconceptions. One day,  we had guests visiting. It’s a rare occurrence because our son,  Krishna, has stranger anxiety. The visitors were a couple my mother’s generation,  and their son and daughter-in-law. I thought that the older…

Part 5: What is Stimming in Autism?  Krishna has always expressed excitement and happiness in a very particular way—by tensing his entire body and vigorously shaking his head. When he was a baby, people smiled and said it was adorable. When he was a toddler, they still found it endearing. But after his diagnosis, something…

Part 4: Emotional Expression in Autism I have been sharing my experiences with autism through my son Krishna’s ongoing story, which is now six years old, post diagnosis. At the time of diagnosis, however, we knew next to nothing about autism. The word evoked vague memories of Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. Or obscure news stories.…

Part 3: The fallout of SPI in Autism A new year with new beginnings – this is my hope and prayer for my son Krishna and all other children on the autistic spectrum. Of course,  the adults too. I’m hoping for 2025 to bring more sensitivity and awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders. The last week…