Nishant Sriram is a foodie. He has stored names of restaurants and their menus on his communication app and on special days, he pulls out the app and tells us where he wants to go. During the drive, he is very excited and will plan what entrees he is going to order.
Some of the restaurants like That’s Y Food, On The go, Cream Centre and ID at the Mall, are used to him and offer us a table of our choice; preferably one in a corner and with a view of the kitchen for Nishant. Many of the waiters know that Nishant will order from his app and they take his order directly from him. We ask how long it will take to serve and, based on the response, Nishant sets his timer on his device. He has also learnt through social stories that he needs to wait for everyone to finish, and we need to pay the bill and thank the restaurant staff before we leave.
A few years go, all this would have been difficult. Without his app, we would choose restaurants and food on what we thought he would like. Sometimes he would reject the food or ask for something someone else had ordered. Waiting was also a problem. He would wait for may be 10 minutes and then get anxious. If he started screaming, we would have to leave the restaurant.
Apps for communication, regulation and lots of practice have helped Nishant access the social area of eating out. Similarly we had trouble when we went shopping or at public events like concerts. Autism is a communication and a social behavioural disorder. A person with autism finds it difficult to communicate their thoughts and feelings and understand social situations and behave appropriately. While they can be taught, their communication skills are somewhat limited and so is their ability to process and understand new and varied social experiences. Hence they need to be provided with tools and training to cope up in difficult social situations.
Not only do we, as a society, give these children the opportunity and time to learn and perfect these skills, but also understand if some of these behaviours do not go away quickly. Often, screaming disruptive kids are asked to leave social spaces. Sound and light sensitivity are not taken into account. As a result, people with autism in mainstream schools and jobs find it difficult to navigate in the world.
Sometimes, parents and families do not give children access to communication through Alternate and Augmentative Communication tools like apps, gestures, and sign language or pictures as they feel the child should communicate only through speech, though research has shown that these tools enhance speech for a child who can speak, and are a lifeline for one who cannot. Using a multi-modal approach to help an autistic child communicate their needs, thoughts and feelings is the first step towards including them in the social sphere.
Schools, therapists and other spaces also need to be accepting of different ways of communicating and provide access and training to these tools. Often these devices are not allowed in the classrooms in case they are tampered with. What many don’t understand is that these devices are like a walker or wheelchair for those with physical disability.
Children with autism may get overwhelmed in crowds, noisy areas and have difficulty with touch or get distracted by visual stimuli. These differences need to be accommodated to find learning or work spaces. A desk or cubicle in a corner that cuts off other stimuli , a small area/room to recover when there is an overload, allowing them to take short breaks or have flexible work patterns go a long way.
At the workplace, people with autism may need hand holding to understand what is appropriate social behaviour and communication patterns. Other employees will also need to be sensitised to their difference. Without this support persons with autism may find it difficult to navigate the corporate world .
Last but not the least “Autism is not contagious … love is”. A little but of compassion will go a long way in building a society that celebrates diversity.
Improving social access
Parents and Families
Give the child a way to communicate other than speech. This will help him speak better and reduce anxiety and challenging behaviours
Focus on communication first; academics and other skill training can come later
Do not pre-empt communication by providing for the child’s needs before he can ask for it. Do not make assumptions about preferences
Expose the child to a variety of people and social situations. This will help him learn appropriate behaviour in different situations
Schools and Workspaces
Prioritise communication training
Encourage students/employees to use the communication tool
Encourage peers to do the same
Include the child in all activities so they learn appropriate behaviour in different situations
Provide sensory safe spaces so that the person can recover in case of overload
Allow for flexibility of seating, timing and, in some cases, 1-1 support [shadow teacher or mentor or buddy]
In community spaces
Understand that persons with autism will communicate and behave differently
Allow them to experience community spaces without barriers
Provide a small area for them to calm down and recover
Don’t judge or reject them
Akila Vaidyanathan is the founder and director of The AMAZE Charitable Trust, which works towards empowering persons on the Autism Spectrum and related disorders
