Walk into any therapy centre or school, and one question echoes through the corridors:

“Is my child improving?”

It is a question every parent asks, every teacher reflects upon, and every therapist strives to

answer. But perhaps the more important question is this:

What does progress actually look like?

Over the years at Ishanya India Foundation, I have come to realise that the most meaningful

progress is often found in the smallest of moments. It is the young boy who had never communicated his preferences, suddenly pressing the picture for “music” on his AAC device because he wanted his favourite song. To many, it seemed like a small moment. To his family, it was the first time he had independently expressed what he wanted instead of someone guessing for him.

It is the teenager who once needed constant prompting to complete simple routines but now walks into the classroom, hangs up his bag, fills his water bottle, checks the day’s schedule, and begins work with only a visual reminder. Nothing about this makes headlines, but every one of these steps is a move towards independence.

Sometimes success is not about learning more; it is about feeling safer. Redefining progress is not about lowering the bar for autistic children. It is about recognising that meaningful success has never been about comparing people to someone else’s timeline or measuring them against a standardised checklist. Whether a person is neurodivergent or neurotypical, real progress is about moving forward from where they began.

I remember a student who would become overwhelmed and leave the classroom whenever the environment became too noisy. Months later, instead of running away, he started saying “break”, spent a few minutes in a quiet corner, and returned to class. He had not simply learnt a behaviour; he had learnt to understand and communicate his own needs.

Progress also looks different when we stop asking, asking, “What is this child trying to tell us?” and begin “How do we stop this behaviour?”

One student frequently pushed away work materials. Rather than insisting he complete the task, we realised the activity was too difficult and the instructions too abstract. By simplifying the task and offering choices, the resistance reduced dramatically. The child had not changed.

Our understanding had.Perhaps one of the greatest lessons our students teach us is that strengths deserve as much attention as challenges.

In our vocational unit, one young adult who struggled with conversation displayed extraordinary attention to detail while packaging products. Another who found classroom learning difficult could identify tiny inconsistencies in handcrafted items that others overlooked. These strengths became responsibilities, responsibilities became confidence, and confidence became purpose.

This is what meaningful education should do, not simply reduce difficulties but uncover abilities. True progress is also measured by belonging. It is the student who confidently greets visitors every morning. The young adult who proudly hands over a product he has made to a customer at an exhibition.

The child who participates in a group activity for ten minutes when, not long ago, even entering the room felt overwhelming. These moments tell us something far more important than a test score ever could. They tell us that a child is participating in the world.

Ultimately, success is not about making autistic children appear “normal.” It is about ensuring they can communicate, make choices, build relationships, contribute to their communities, and live with dignity.

As professionals, parents, and educators, perhaps we need to stop asking, “How much has the

child changed?” and start asking, “How much have we changed to understand, support, and include them?”

Because the greatest measure of progress is not that autistic children learn to fit into our world. It is that we build a world where they already belong.

Connect With Swathi Vellal Raghunandan: +91 7349676668 | info@ishanyaindia.org/ swathi@ishanyaindia.org