A child of 3 and half years, Deborshi was diagnosed as individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was non communicative. As a child of 3 years he did not like to play with other kids or with his parents which is quite opposite of other children of his age. Deborshi’s mother went for ten days parent – child training at Autism Society West Bengal. After the training program, Deborshi showed some signs of improvement. Nandita Dutta, Deborshi’s mother was confident that further training will help him to improvement his level of communication and other areas as well. The three months parent training program ushered in significant improvement in terms of communication, play as well as sitting habit. Nandita Dutta shared that what she liked the most about the training program is that now Deborshi likes to spend leisure time with them and also attempts to play with them and other children.

I feel immensely glad to be writing this testimony because it gives me a way to show my gratitude to Indrani Mam, Director of Autism Society West Bengal who have given me this opportunity, to the team, faculty members, respective teachers and to all of them, without whose valuable guidance and assistance, I could not have been able to make such confident decisions while selecting the best course out of a pool of prospects.

First of all, I would heartily thank Indrani Mam, who have not only changed my life, but also changed the life of several mothers like me. When my child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I was referred by the medical professionals for the intervention and therapy at Autism Society West Bengal. Fortunately I came in contact with Mam, for a counseling session, from whom I first got to know about Autism and how to manage my child and handle the stressful situations of everyday life. I became very surprised and happy to see my child responding and communicating in a new environment with the respective teacher and also with others in the first ten days of intervention. Then I also joined the parent training program. After that I worked as a volunteer at Dikshan and after that at the early intervention unit at Lake Gardens. While I was working as a volunteer, I came to experience and know about each and every student’s learning styles. There I got immense cooperation with the respective teachers of the unit, all of them are so humble, we had a great bonding with each other, which gave me grow better more and more personally as well as gained a sense of responsibility, and helped me to learn to lot of things, and had been a great experience working with the students.

While working as a volunteer, I came to know about the Diploma course in Special Education Autism Spectrum Disorder. I eagerly joined the course in the year 2016 and it gives me great pleasure to say with pride that I have completed the diploma in Special Education (ASD), from Autism Society West Bengal. It has been a wonderful experience to get a very wonderful faculty, respective teachers of theoretical and practical classes, and they are very cooperative and the environment is very positive. Autism Society West Bengal has made the best efforts to provide all the best facilities for the students. The relationship between the respected teachers and the students is very cordial, which gave me an opportunity to excel in my area of interest. The two years spent here were splendid and helped me to grow better professionally and personally. It has been a wonderful experience for me. The teachers here are very helpful and always present to clear our doubts and lead us in the right path. We had so many workshops, field visits to other reputed institutions, interactive theoretical and practical classes, in which we have one to one conversations with the respective teachers, which opens a new horizon for me.

Of course, this testimony would be incomplete if I do not mention the invaluable assistance and cooperation of the students, who have helped me making the practical lessons (making Individualized Educational Programme, teaching learning materials, adaptive devices, taking group teaching classes, etc), which have helped me to complete the journey of the two year diploma course easily. During the period, I once more experienced the feeling of my old school days, college life with my fellow classmates; it was very fun with them.
Lastly, I would finish by saying that Autism Society West Bengal makes the best efforts, through which potentials are harnessed, skills are developed, confidence is built and dreams are realized beyond boundaries.

This is Soma Mukherjee a D Ed trainee and also a parent of an autistic boy.
Regarding ASWB I would like to say although my son got a late diagnosis of ASD, he has benefitted from the services given by the therapists of ASWB.
Also as a D Ed trainee I would like to thank our course coordinator Mr Pranabesh Bhunia, our excellent and experienced teaching staff and our most beloved, our director, Mrs Indrani Basu. This course has both theory and practical training which enables us to prove better all-round services. Every individual with autism is different with unique learning styles, challenges, strengths and behavioural issues. Through this training course we develop skills to identify these factors and design customized intervention programme according to each individual’s specific needs. Also this course makes us feel highly empowered to share parents challenges and play a key role in bringing solutions for their children.

After visiting ASWB, I have come to know about the right ways to deal with the difficulties my child is facing. What I liked the most is that here, the teachers give importance to individual needs of the children. As Autism is a spectrum disorder, every child has their own strengths and own limitations; here the activities are set keeping this in mind. I also have come to know about the small mistakes we do as parents which may have affected my child adversely. After 3-months training, I can say that I can now identify when I am going wrong and how to rectify my behavior. Now, I know how to behave with my child and enjoy our time together.

Soham was three years of age when he took up the three months training at ASWB. But he was diagnosed at two and half years of age. He was a non verbal child with some behavioral issues and lack of interest in food. It was after the training that Soham has learned to communicate with two or three signs and he even pull our hands to show what he wants. He has also developed an interest in food. Arpita Nanda, Soham’s mother used to prepare food for him when they went out for dinner or lunch in a restaurant but now he has developed an interest in food prepared in restaurants and parties. He has also learned to do things individually. His mother is elated at Soham’s improvement. In her words, “I will always remain grateful to ASWB. It is such a wonderful organization for autistic children and their.

Briti was diagnosed with autism at an age of three years. Her problem areas were lack of communication, poor eye contact and lack of attention. After three months training she has learned socially appropriate behavior. Laxmi Rani Mahanta, her mother says that she can take Briti to social gatherings, market place and parks. She waits in the shop until her mother finishes shopping. Briti now pulls her mother’s hand to show what she wants be it chips, biscuits, cold drinks, chocos, water, fruits etc. She waits for her father to come home, when he arrives from office she gives a big smile which is precious for the them. Her mother says it’s because of the training that we have got at ASWB, Briti has learned and improved. In her words, ’ASWB is like a ray of hope. Moreover, here we have met so many people whose child has been diagnosed with autism so it has become a support system for us where we can share our feeling with each other.’

Debanjan was a hyperactive child with poor eye contact and sitting habit and diagnosed with autism at an age of three years and two months. It was after three months training program that his sitting habit has improved. He can now points to objects that he wants and even interacts with other people. Radharani Mandal, his mother proudly shares that he can now follow instructions better than before, even walk on the road without any problem. For Radharani Mandal, “ASWB is a source of light and a guide’, it’s with their guidance I have been able to teach and manage my child in a better way”.

Dhritiraj had different behavioral issues along with speech problem and poor eye contact. It was after three months training that there has been some improvement in his behavior. Pushpita, his mother says that ‘Now he tries to show what he wants by taking us to that object. He is using hand gestures to show things he likes and dislikes. When his father comes from office he takes me to the gate and through hand gestures ask me too open it for his father so that he can come in’. She is very satisfied with the improvement and believes that it’s the special educators who taught her who to manage him. Pushpita says, ‘The special educators also gave us mental support and also learned about autism at ASWB’.

Debjit was very aggressive and restless, he never use to sit still for a second when he was diagnosed with autism at an age of three years and two months. His vocabulary consisted of three/ four words or sentences. It was after three months training that saw a huge improvement in his behavior. After the training he can now connect with other people especially elderly people. His vocabulary stock has also increased. He can now eat alone in restaurants. His mother Debolina Adhikary points out that “He can now express his needs in small sentences like baba office theke chips niye asbe,Debjit car kore bei bei jabe. She says I owe a lot to ASWB as it has instiiled a hope in me that my son can learn even if he does not attend a mainstream school”.

Sohinee, Sukrit’s mother noticed some unusual behavioral traits in him. For instance, he was obsessed with round objects like wheels of cars, ball etc. He used few words rather single words, his main way of communication was pointing fingers at objects or things. Moreover, he did not chew his food. Then he was diagnosed with autism at two years and ten months. After diagnosis, they took up ten days and three months training respectively. Now, after undergoing three months training Sukrit has learned to chew his food. He is brushing his teeth now. Sohinee says,” Thank god! He can now chew his food .It’s a big freedom in my life, we can now go for dinner at restaurants without worrying about his food. He is also mingling with other children of his age.’’ She believes that Chandrani madam is her mentor, philoposher and guide. Sohinee also praises the way educators teach them ways of managing the child practically as well as theoretically. It is here in ASWB that she has found support and has developed a strong bond with the parents. In her words, ‘It’s like a family now’.