Academically brilliant autistic teenagers to be felicitated today

When 16-year-old Sunil Shinde (name changed) was little, his mother Sunita remembers scolding many who insensitively called him "mentally retarded". She has rebuked teachers, students and parents for their fallacy. "My son has autism and it's not mental retardation," she said.
And proving the point effectively, Sunil will, on Sunday afternoon, along with 13 other teenagers, receive an award for his academic achievements from a government official.He passed the CBSE Class X exams with 79% and has mastered the harmonium among many other achievements.
These 14 boys and girls passed their Class X and XII exams without letting their neurological disorder cramp their life. While some like Aditya Rao scored over 91% in the Class X exams, Manish (name changed) managed to get into the BSc course of one of the most reputed colleges in the city on merit.
The Forum For Autism (FFA), a support group for parents of children diagnosed with autism, has organised the felicitation ceremony to herald the change: the arrival of their differently-abled children in mainstream education. FFA president Parul Kumtha said, "The years of struggle for admission and concessions for children with autism spectrum disorder into mainstream schooling has started to pay off - slowly but surely."
In the 2014-15 academic year, FFA members' children have passed SSC, ICSE, CBSE, NIOS and HSC boards with flying colours. "Some have got as high as 91%," said Kumtha. Developmental paediatrician Dr Vibha Krishnamurthy said concessions had played a role, but there has also been an overall improvement in acceptance levels in society.
The American Center for Diseases Control estimates that one in every 68 children has autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder, affecting a child's development and social skills. Manish, for instance, never 'looks' at a person and takes a long time to reply. Ajay Ramesh joined a special school with few children per class because he felt irritable in the regular school that has 45 students per class.
But many autistic children improve with early intervention in the form of occupation, speech and behavior therapy. Ajay, who has learnt German and Russian on his own, plans to take up hospitality management.
Swati Vispute, whose son Hrishikesh appeared for his SSC exams without a writer, said the key is to focus on the child's abilities instead of his disability. "Our children are differently abled and with some help, they can stand on their own feet." The Visputes are exploring how best to nurture their son's drawling skills. "He is pursing a diploma course in drawing from a Panvel college and intends to join the JJ School of Arts," she said.