Most of us started out with our first few "C" or computer languages with the printf statement"Hello World". When I start penning or rather typing away my memories and experiences with Bubbles, this is what I am tempted to say the same to the rest of the world reading us...."Hello World...Welcome to the world of Bubbles"
We were a bunch of pals fresh from college. We had just started working. In the company where I work, we happened to meet a person by name "Moses", who was our inspiration towards devoting our time to causes that benefit others.
Bubbles started off as one of the events, that we were part of. But, Im sure u knew my next sentence was coming......Bubbles was not just another event. It was an experience that we never did forget.....
We were part of the registration team, and we had kids aged between 4 and 10 come in at around 10am in March, 2006. Most of them wouldnt respond when they were asked their names, I thought that it was because they wouldnt talk to strangers or were moody. Little did I know that the kids were autistic then.
It was amazing to see these children perform on stage. I still remember the grace and the josh that a 4 year old autistic kid displayed on stage when she was dancing. I bet you a million bucks, no one would have even thought she was even remotely associated with autism. There she was on stage, all smiles and having a great time....
And then we got to meet another kid, very affectionate, she was around 8 years old. She kept asking us why her mother didnt come to pick her. It was difficult to distract her attention to anything else. She was always used to being picked up by her mother and was finding it difficult to understand as to why someone else was going to pick her...
And then we got to meet the prodigy, let me take you to the beginning of our interaction. We had to make a presentation on Egypt to a group of autistic and non-autistic children, and we were quizzing the kids on a few GK questions about Egypt like the capital or the main river of Egypt...we get the answers from our prodigy even before we finish the questions.....
Years later, I get to know that our prodigy is autistic.....
There is this kid, who can solve complex simultaneous equations, and give the right answer just by looking at the question. But she wouldnt be able to explain how she arrived at the solution.
I am told that there are various degrees in autism. It is by far a very varying condition. Different kids with autism, face different behavioral challenges, which is by large unique from other kids facing the same condition.
You could have children displaying delayed milestones, like say not doing things when they are supposed to, that is say...if they are supposed to walk by 2, or talk by 3......
You could have children unable to express their feelings or their thoughts. Lets just say that if someone were to bully them or beat them, they would feel the pain, but would just not know how to react.....Imagine the frustration that they must be undergoing.....
Autistic children are usually used to a structured lifestyle. They do not understand the varying aspects of the society they live in. Lets just say that if they are told and trained to have the freedom to pull out things from the showcase of their own homes and if they were to be restrained from doing the same in a guest's house...they just wouldnt understand the difference....
Sarbani Aunty, the person who runs Bubbles Home, was telling us the other day that when she was talking to another friend and was interrupted by an autistic child, she had forgotten to chide the child for doing so. She was later reminded by the kid as to why she was not scolded, as she was always taught that it was not right to interrupt 2 people conversing....
How does Sarbani make the difference...
In Bubbles, they work with different kinds of intervention programmes. These programmes are designed to meet the child's requirements. Lets just say that there are children who have not yet started talking, probably coz they have not had the exposure or the environment to express themselves, Bubbles identifies speech therapists and helps the child in developing the normal condition of speech....
In Bubbles, most of the work that is done revolves around autistic children. Many a time, the people who need help the most are the parents of the autistic children, as they just dont understand as to why their children cant perform or do as well as the other normal children and end up pushing the children too hard, only ending up in doing the kid more harm.....
If I were to be a parent of an autistic child, only then would I understand what is faced by the parents day in and day out. ....But since autism is a condition which cant be treated and cured for life......it is a condition which persists lifelong. A child with autism grows up into an adult with autism....Then what can be done in such a situation.....
The most important part being that in Bubbles, children with autism are trained to be independent. Most of the teaching revolves around visual aids....and the use of structured patterns as far as their daily routine is concerned. Another important factor that is considered is that the child is also undergoing the same routine at home.....as it wouldnt just help....if they were to follow a particular schedule for a few hours a week...and go back to doing none of it at home....
In Bubbles, parents are taken into confidence regarding the kind of help and support they can provide to their children who are autistic. And with the help of the structured learning programmes, parents themselves see the change and appreciate the positive impacts....
In Bubbles, the learning programmes ensure that the autistic child's needs are appreciated and well looked into from a futuristic perspective....
