By Sowmya Goel | Volunteer
Six and a half years ago, Prince was prematurely brought into the world. Unwantedly pregnant, his mother was unable to refrain from pain-alleviating pills, non-nutritious foods, and other debilitating behaviors. For three and a half years after his birth, Prince was left uncared for. Far from being fed a mother’s milk, he remained sans human contact: sipping glucose whilst laying alone in a corner of the house. His parents divorced, and neither chose to keep him.
Somehow today, six and a half years later, he watches his teacher hold a spoon, and simultaneously grips the elusive spoon and proudly eats his food by himself. Prince’s story isn’t one of pity or sorrow. For all that he lost, missed out on; he found a dadi (grandmother) in his life, willing to go to the world’s end for his happiness. For a year, with her minimal income, she fed him nutritious diet. She engaged him; recited alphabets and numbers, made him laugh, kept him hygienic, bought him toys. “I did for this child what I didn’t even do for my own children”, says his dadi. Why? “This child should have been born normal, and yet he isn’t. He’s lost so much, that I refuse to let him lose anymore. But I couldn’t afford to put him in a special school nor afford costly daily therapy sessions.”
It was the timely reach out by the community worker, the family approached SAMADHAN and was formally diagnosed with Autism, comorbid with ADHD/Speech Disorder. With appropriate intervention at SAMADHAN, Prince’s condition improved impressively. Exposure to other children has facilitated his interest in play, encouraged cooperative behaviors, improved eating pattern, allowed musical inclinations to flourish. In between his periods of greater hyperactivity, Prince remains extremely responsive and respectful of instructions given to him. And yet, his dadi doesn’t seem to mind his excess of energy; “he’s merely making up for those 3.5 years where he barely moved. Thanks to SAMADHAN, his life is getting transformed by each passing day.”
Current goals that his educators have for him include becoming more comfortable in relatively stationary activities and perhaps most importantly, development of speech. Prince communicates effectively, however, non-verbally. But his educators, his dadi, and his stay-at-home Bua (aunt) work tirelessly to enable him to say his first words and hope that someday he will be capable of being independent to some extent.
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