Across the world, institutions are moving toward inclusive education, a learning model in which children with special needs and typically developing children study side-by-side. It’s an admirable goal, but a divisive practice; many parents, while supporting inclusive education in theory, 

In To Siri, With Love, a collection of essays about the author’s son, Gus, who has autism, Judith Newman recognizes that the many conversations Gus has with an endlessly patient, non-judgmental and informative Siri, as well as his other use of 

New research has singled out a genetic hotspot related to autism spectrum disorders: a gene identified as TRIO, which influences the development and strength — or weakness — of the connections between brain cells. The scientists found eight autism-associated mutations clustered 

In ADHD news, a growing body of research is turning the way some experts think about the condition on its head, suggesting that many cases of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder may simply be rooted in a lack of regular circadian 

Last year, Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts, Vidyasagar School Chennai and Duckbill Books, ran a contest for authors to write children’s books about kids with special needs. Four books were chosen — and the first two stories for kids are 

I am the father of a wonderful, 12-year-old girl. She was born full-term, with no problems and was an absolute bundle of joy for our family. She hit all her developmental markers on time and even spoke full sentences by 

When my mother-in-law died a few months ago at the age of 100, she left a huge gap in our lives. She had lived with us for 18 years and she was, to the very end, a vital part of 

I’m used to amazing stories, near-miracles and unlikely transformations. When you work with children with special needs, they’re commonplace, the stuff of everyday. Take a child everybody else has given up on, help him locate his strength, give him the 

A recent study has been making the media rounds with headlines touting a link between genital herpes and autism — more specifically, a mother’s herpes flare-up during pregnancy and a child’s autism. There are a lot of problems with this ‘link’ between 

In the latest in ADHD news, a new study, published this month in The Lancet, adds to the growing body of evidence that ADHD in children is the result of delayed brain maturation. Researchers from an ADHD Working Group within an international consortium 

My daughter Moy Moy doesn’t speak at all. She is 27 years old, has quadriplegia and is completely non-verbal. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t communicate. This morning I woke at 5 am because Moy was making sounds. They were 

When my 6-year-old daughter started Grade 1 this year, something changed. The curious and imaginative child I had known was coming home with teachers’ complaints about her lack of focus, difficulty reading and writing, and clumsy coordination. It was a 

Whenever anything would go wrong in the early days of our foundation for children with special needs, Paula (our volunteer teacher-trainer, life-coach and best friend) would say, “Never mind! Worse things happen at sea.” Difficult times require clarity of thought, 

When Tristan was three, he started Pivotal Response Training. At the time, he hardly spoke. So, like any good parent, while we waited for him to take this first verbal step, we took care of all the others that would 

I was one of those lucky teenagers who had no real problem with acne. I sailed through adolescence with only two or three pimples – so few I can’t even remember them. I do remember, however, friends for whom those 

A few months ago, I missed my train from Delhi to Dehradun. I had to get back home that afternoon and there was no way I was willing to pay for either a flight or a taxi. So I worked 

It was a rainy afternoon. Tristan and I had been walking down the sidewalk when he dropped his ball and it rolled into the street. He lunged after it – right into oncoming traffic, had I not grabbed onto him. 

Shilpi is an absolutely impossible child. If she doesn’t like the food she is served, she hurls it against the wall. Bath time is a daily screaming match, and no one is allowed to brush her teeth. To avoid tantrums