Stories of Change

I am delighted to share with you a collection of inspiring stories that highlight the incredible journeys of children and their families as they navigate the challenges and triumphs associated with autism. Each story is a testament to the resilience, dedication, and love that drive positive change and growth.

In these narratives, you will meet Tanvi, Pranav, Vivaan, Mayank, Kabir, Dhruv, and Ritham—each with their unique experiences and breakthroughs. From overcoming sensory challenges and improving communication to building emotional regulation and fostering meaningful relationships, these stories showcase the transformative power of tailored interventions and unwavering support.

Through careful assessment, personalized programs, and a focus on coregulation, sensory integration, and emotional validation, these children have made remarkable progress. Their journeys are not just about overcoming obstacles but also about discovering their strengths and potential.

I hope these stories inspire you as much as they have inspired me. They are a reminder that with the right guidance, understanding, and support, every child can achieve significant milestones and lead a fulfilling life.

A word from Mini...

Tanvi’s Story

Tanvi, a sweet girl with a talent for music, experienced a transformative journey through the Step-Up program. From the outset, the program taught her parents to slow down, respect Tanvi's preferences, and release their expectations. With guidance, they learned to be present with Tanvi, understand her perspective, and help her regulate her emotions.

Parents mentioned that the feedback on their videos by me were invaluable, breaking down complex concepts into simple, actionable steps. By the end of the program, they noticed a newfound motivation in Tanvi to try new things. They discovered that anxiety was a core issue for her and, with suggestions, worked on reducing her mind-body disconnect through primitive reflexes and rhythmic movements. This brought significant changes, making Tanvi more comfortable with motor imitation and body awareness.

Insights into her vision difficulties and the introduction of declarative language tools led to a drastic decrease in her anxiety levels and an increase in her engagement with her environment and family.

Her parents felt incredibly grateful for the support. Initially anxious about starting Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) and coregulation, they later felt confident, comfortable and contended with the established regime. The simple yet effective inputs on RDI concepts have made a significant difference, and they hope more children can benefit from the consultation as Tanvi has.

Pranav’s Story

Pranav was diagnosed in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of 2 in the UK. His father initially approached Playstreet when Pranav was 2 years old, but they couldn't proceed due to logistical issues. Instead, Pranav received speech therapy and occupational therapy at various centres.

When Pranav turned 8, his father contacted me again. Upon assessment, I found that Pranav had somatosensory dyspraxia and childhood apraxia of speech. Pranav is an emotionally vulnerable child who gets easily frustrated and often cries with heart-wrenching tears. He also struggles with motor planning and using his body functionally, and also relying heavily on his peripheral vision.

Parents enrolled with me in the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program, focusing on coregulation. I helped his parents to understand the real challenges Pranav was facing and taught them to slow down and engage with him in a way he could comprehend, gradually building his emotional regulation and motor skills.

Pranav also has tactile challenges and he gets frustrated with some clothing textures. For dyspraxia, we started extensive motor work, such as whole-body dissociation, motor planning, balance, coordination, and sensory integration, focusing on his vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile senses. We then added vision therapy, working on saccadic eye movements and convergence.

Pranav's receptive understanding and emotional responses have significantly improved. He now understands what is expected of him and uses his body in a more controlled and voluntary manner. He has started helping his parents with basic cooking and cleaning tasks. When we added oral sensory motor stimulation to his program, he began making sounds. While speech is still a long way off, he is making progress. Our main focus remains on coregulation, communication using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), play, and emotional regulation.

Vivaan’s Story

Vivaan's journey with me began when his parents enrolled him in my program, seeking help for a persistent issue that had not been resolved despite consulting numerous experts. In addition to common autism-related challenges such as communication difficulties, limited play, and low motivation to engage with others, their primary concern was Vivaan's habit of throwing objects indiscriminately, posing a safety risk to his sibling and grandparents.

Through careful assessment and by building a guiding relationship and coregulation with Vivaan, I identified his sensory challenges. Vivaan is a very sincere child and I suspected that his throwing behaviour was not intentional but rather a form of communication stemming from underlying visual perceptual difficulties. By incorporating red colour therapy during task engagement and coregulation activities, we achieved a significant breakthrough in addressing his throwing behavior.

Mayank’s Story

Mayank, a joyful child I met in the UK, faced significant challenges with communication and hyperactivity. His parents' primary concern was his inability to allow his mother to go on a day trip with an overnight stay. Upon starting the program, we focused on developing co-regulation and sensory integration. We recognized Mayank's need for vestibular input and provided it in a meaningful way, which greatly helped him regulate his body.

Coregulation enabled his parents to guide and engage with him meaningfully in all areas of life, including household chores, play, and academics, as well as going for a trip with a night stay. Another severe challenge Mayank faced was auditory sensitivity, as he constantly blocked his ears, which interfered with his engagement with others. By introducing the Safe and Sound Protocol and coregulation, Mayank became much calmer and more organized. He was able to stay in school without his noise-canceling headphones.

Attaching the note from his teacher.

Kabir’s Story

Kabir, an 18-year-old boy, has attended various therapies since childhood, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special education. He is a highly skilled child and can do many things independently. However, his parents contacted me due to Kabir's extreme reactions to certain situations, such as severe meltdowns when the electricity goes off. These episodes were also affecting his parents' sense of emotional safety.

We enrolled Kabir in a one-year Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program, focusing on coregulation and validating his emotions. We also introduced the Safe and Sound Protocol to help reduce his fight-or-flight responses. More importantly, I worked closely with his parents, helping them to slow down, and to remain unaffected by Kabir's meltdowns, and understand that their state of mind influenced Kabir's state of mind. Both parents made a significant effort to stay calm during Kabir's meltdowns.

After nine months of working with Kabir, his parents began to understand that every behavior he exhibited had an underlying communication. By understanding the reasons behind his actions and validating his insecurities, Kabir is able to cope much better. We are now starting to address his primitive reflexes and vestibular sensory system to help him feel even safer. We would now gradually add AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) and OSMS (oral, sensory and motor stimulation) for speech clarity and communication.

Dhruv’s Story

Dhruv, a sweet child attending school, was verbal and capable of making conversations, but his relationship with his parents was strained, and he exhibited oppositional behavior. He wanted to play with other children but often ended up teasing and fighting with them, disregarding playground rules, and trying to control both his parents and friends.

His parents consulted a doctor who suggested advanced speech therapy, believing that while Dhruv had speech and language skills, he still struggled to form relationships. The parents were keen on advanced speech and language therapy, thinking that Dhruv's communication issues stemmed from limited language abilities.

Through detailed observation of Dhruv's interactions with his parents, other children, and people, I helped his parents understand that what Dhruv needed was strong coregulation and the ability to comprehend his environment. His difficulty in understanding his surroundings led him to try to control them.

Parents enrolled in a one-year Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program with me, where we were focusing on coregulation, basic sensory and motor foundations, and also added vision therapy. Within a few months, Dhruv began to change. He started listening to his parents, and their daily struggles with his resistance and defiant behaviors significantly reduced. Dhruv also began to enjoy longer playtimes in the evening with friends.

Ritham’s Story

Ritham is a brilliant child who had undergone years of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy before his family started the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program with me. He was a rote learner and struggled to manage his behavior in new environments where dynamic actions were required. This frustration led to his parents beginning to lose their guiding relationship with him.

We focused extensively on coregulation and collaborative engagement without placing high performance demands on him. By creating opportunities for Ritham to observe his environment and learn to respond accordingly, he became less of a rote learner and started to exhibit more dynamic responses. He also attended sensory integration and rhythm-based music and movement programs, which greatly benefited him.

Although Ritham was not diagnosed with dyspraxia, working on coregulation and sensory motor support improved his regulation and communication, thereby enhancing his learning and speech.