A Mother’s Fuel for Purpose: Challenges, Hurdles, and Obstacles!

My name is A. Kumuthavalli. I am a happy parent of a child with ASD and an enthusiastic employee of the Ishanya India Foundation. My journey as an educator began by volunteering as an educator in several organisations that focused on Children with special needs. I am presently a part of the Sameti Program which is a pre-academic/school readiness skill development program at Ishanya and work with children between the ages of 8-11. Here is the story behind why I was inspired to work with children with special needs.?

Life began to pave my path to becoming a special needs educator with the experiences and events I had as a mother of a child with special needs. There were many hurdles that I had to overcome while raising my son. He was diagnosed with mild autism spectrum disorder and mild intellectual disability. My son initially received a diagnosis of ADHD at St. John’s Hospital, Bangalore and a few years later he was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) at the same hospital.?

The challenges we faced included being dismissed from several schools during the initial years due to my son’s behavioural difficulties. It was hurtful to watch my son being treated that way. Like any mother, I wanted my child to have a normal educational experience.?

Since my son wasn’t accepted by any school,?I decided to step in myself. I got trained as a special educator and secured two diplomas, one in Special Education and another in Montessori Education. I began training him to do his daily activities and used my education and training to homeschool my son.?

I started to collect books that were referred to in normal schools and started educating him. Through continuous education at home, my son was able to gradually learn and study all the subjects. As he began doing well with the syllabus I decided to enrol him to appear for the 10th board exams. He recently appeared for his exams and it took years of training to prepare him.?

The procedure and the process were extremely strenuous and took a huge emotional toll on me and my family. The entire process from getting my son registered for the exam to getting permission to allow him a scribe was brutal. But, we somehow managed to find our way through the complex procedures related to the education of children with special needs and my son wrote his exam with a scribe.?

My son was initially enrolled in the Spruha program (A transition skill development program) at Ishanya. The quality of education and the attention given to improving my child’s behaviour in Ishanya inspired me to join the organisation. I initially joined as a parent volunteer and now I am a part of the Ishanya family as an educator. I still remember the day I met the managing director Swathi Vellal Raghunandan, a young and dynamic woman full of positivity and encouragement. Her motivation and encouragement propelled my inspiration to join the Ishanya family.

Through all these ordeals Ishanya has been there to give me the much-needed direction. I thank the Ishanya team for being extremely supportive from the beginning. Today, I am a proud mother of a special child who not only finished his 10th exams but is also working towards becoming more independent. He works on himself through behaviour, speech, occupational, and many other therapies and training. I strive towards supporting him in his efforts to achieve his independence.?

The events and circumstances that I faced throughout my son’s education made me realise the importance of inclusive education. I realised some so many children need help and must be enduring similar challenges. Every child is unique and has different abilities and skills. Society has many different?names for these children and lots of unhelpful opinions, some of them are hurtful and highly insensitive such as “There is no hope for such children in the future so why waste time on him.” I wanted to prove all these statements wrong.?

If inclusive education was more available in all the schools, these children would not only get a chance to get a better education but also a fun-filled childhood. This thought inspired me to become an educator in Ishanya. I am glad to have this opportunity to teach children at Ishanya Foundation.

To all the parents with neurodiverse children out there, forget what society tells you about your child. Society will have a lot to say, not everything deserves your attention. Accept that your child needs special attention, therapy and training. I know accepting this fact is hard, but the sooner you accept your children need special care, the earlier you can begin helping them overcome their challenges and make a real difference in their lives.?

As a mother of a child with special needs, I will say that it will not be easy, you will have to have a lot of patience with your child. You will spend many hours taking them for their training and therapies. It will all be extremely tiring, but watching your child improve and make progress will make it all worth it in the end. Understanding your children will help them shine.

Author: A. Kumuthavalli,