A Systems Project on Autism ( Swalinta )

Autism

Loyhurk

Project By : SUDHIR MOR & MITIN ANAND

Digital publications of students for private circulation only.

PGDPD Product Design 2012 National Institute of Design, India Author: Sudhir Mor / Mitin Anand Text: Mitin Anand / Sudhir Mor Sketches & Illustrations: Sudhir Mor / Mitin Anand Images: Sudhir Mor / Mitin Anand All right reserved under international copyright conventions.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the author.

Edited by: Sudhir Mor / Mitin Anand Processed at NID Printed by:

01 Acknowledgment 02 Introduction

08 Phase - IV

Analysis of Research

System Model

Subsystem Study

03 Synopsis 04 Project Brief 05 Phase - I (Startup)

Selection of Topics

Why Autism?

Research Methodology 06 Phase - II (Research Secondary)

What is Autism?

Spread of Autism

Diagnosis & Awareness

Polices & Concessions 07 Phase - III (Research Primary)

Case Studies Interviews

Color Interaction Puzzel

09 Phase - V

Ideas & Concepts 10 Phase - VI

Final Solutions 11 Conclusion 12 Biblography 13 Annexure 14 About Us

CONTENTS

Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our guide Mr. Praveen Nahar for the continuous support, for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped us in all the time of research and writing of this document.

My sincere thanks also goes to Ms. Falguni joshi for critical feedback and numerous suggessions, Ms. Sukeshi Shah for giving us uncharted permission in Polio foundation, Dr Anwar ali for his valuable feedbacks and encouragement.

I thank the employees in BM Institute, Polio foundation and Kalrav: Dr. Asha, Dr. Madhu Singh, Ms. Vajayanti, Ms. Jasmin and Anil bhai, for the stimulating discussions, for the suggessions, and for their patience. In particular, we are grateful to Mr. Lochen Kharawala and his pets for the priceless dog session and the willingness to do everything possible for the kids.

Last but not the least, we would like to thank the family members of autistic kids, for spending time with us inspite of thier busy schedule.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

INTRODUCTION

The Elephant Metaphore of Reality

Overview of Systems Thinking Systems thinking has its foundation in the field of system dynamics, founded in 1956 by MIT professor Jay Forrester. Professor Forrester recognized the need for a better way of testing new ideas about social systems, in the same way we can test ideas in engineering. Systems thinking allows people to make their understanding of social systems explicit and improve them in the same way that people can use engineering principles to make explicit and improve their understanding of mechanical systems.

The Systems Thinking Approach The approach of systems thinking is fundamentally different from that of traditional forms of analysis. Traditional analysis focuses on the separating the individual pieces of what is being studied; in fact, the word “analysis” actually comes from the root meaning “to break into constituent parts.” Systems thinking, in contrast, focuses on how the thing being studied interacts with the other constituents of the system—a set of elements that interact to produce behavior—of which it is a part. This means that instead of isolating smaller and smaller parts of the system being studied, systems thinking works by expanding its view to take into account larger and larger numbers of interactions as an issue is being studied. This results in sometimes strikingly different conclusions than those generated by traditional forms of analysis, especially when what is being studied is dynamically complex or has a great deal of feedback from other sources, internal or external.

The character of systems thinking makes it extremely effective on the most difficult types of problems to solve: those involving complex issues, those that depend a great deal dependence on the past or on the actions of others, and those stemming from ineffective coordination among those involved.

Use of Systems Thinking An example that illustrates the difference between the systems thinking perspective and the perspective taken by raditional forms of analysis is the action taken to reduce crop damage by insects. When an insect is eating a crop, the conventional response is to spray the crop with a pesticide designed to kill that insect. Putting aside the limited effectiveness of some pesticides and the water and soil pollution they can cause, imagine a perfect pesticide that kills all of the insects against which it is used and which has no side effects on air, water, or soil. Is using this pesticide likely to make the farmer or company whose crops are being eaten better off?

If we represent the thinking used by those applying the pesticides, it would look like this:

According to this way of thinking, the more pesticide is applied, the fewer insects there will be damaging crops, and the less total crop damage. The temptation is to say that eliminating the insects eating the crops will solve the problem; however that often turns out to not be the case. The problem of crop damage due to insects often does get better - in the short term.

Unfortunately, the view diagrammed above represents only part of the picture. What frequently happens is that in following years the problem of crop damage gets worse and worse and the pesticide that formerly seemed so effective does not seem to help anymore.

This is because the insect that was eating the crops was controlling the population of another insect, either by preying on it or by competing with it. When the pesticide kills the insects that were eating the crops, it eliminates the control that those insects were applying on the population of the other insects. Then the population of the insects that were being controlled explodes and they cause more damage than the insects killed by the pesticide used to.

In other words, the action intended to solve the problem actually makes it worse because the way its unintended side effects change the system ends up exacerbating the problem.

Pestiside Application

0

−−−−←

Insects Damaging Crops

(Reading the Diagram: The arrow indicates the direction of causation - that is, a change in the amount of pesticide applied causes a change in the numbers of insects damaging crops. The letter indicates how the two variables are related: an “s” means they change in the same direction - if one goes up then the other goes up, and an “o” means they change in the opposite direction - if one goes up then the other goes down (or vice versa). This diagram is read “a change in the amount of pesticide applied causes the number of insects damaging crops to change in the opposite direction.” The belief being represented here is that “as the amount of pesticide applied increases, the number of insects damaging crops decreases.”)

In fact, some studies suggest that a majority of the 25 insects that cause the most crop damage each year became problems to begin with because of exactly this cycle. Graphically, the way this happens can be represented as:

According to this understanding, the greater the pesticide application, the smaller the numbers of Insect A (the original pest) that will eat the crop. This leads to an immediate decrease in the numbers of insects eating the crop (note that this is the effect those applying the pesticides are intending).

However, the smaller numbers of insect A eventually lead to greater numbers of Insect B (the hash marks on the arrow indicate a delay), because insect A is no longer controlling the numbers of insect B to the same extent. This leads to a population explosion of insect B, to greater numbers of insect B damaging crops, and to greater numbers of insects damaging the crop, exactly the opposite of what was intended. Thus, although the short-term effects of applying the pesticide were exactly what was intended, the long-term effects were quite different.

By seeing the whole picture, the team was able to think of new possibilities that they had not come up with previously, in spite of their best efforts. Systems thinking has the power to help teams create insights like these, when applied well to a suitable problem.

A Better Way to Deal with Our Most Difficult Problems So many important problems that plague us today are complex, involve multiple actors, and are at least partly the result of past actions that were taken to alleviate them. Dealing with such problems is notoriously difficult and the results of conventional solutions are often poor enough to create discouragement about the prospects of ever effectively addressing them. One of the key benefits of systems thinking is its ability to deal effectively with just these types of problems and to raise our thinking to the level at which we create the results we want as individuals and organizations even in those difficult situations marked by complexity, great numbers of interactions, and the absence or ineffectiveness of immediately apparent solutions.

SYNOPSIS This document is a compilation of the work done as a part of our system design project. We (Mitin Anand and Sudhir Mor) are Final year students of Product design discipline at National Institute of Design.

The project is to understand autism and the people linked to it, understand the whole system and come up with solutions that can have a substantial impact. We made visits to institutes, rehabilitation centers and various houses. An intense research was conducted to understand the mental condition, treatments and the people whom they encounter in their daily life. This project helped us to step out of mundane ways of doing things. It helped us to understand how various sub systems interact within the system.

Understanding the system lead our thinking to a different level which helped us to take decisions which can help the system in the long run.

PROJECT BRIEF Understanding Autism and the difficulties faced by people associated to it (patient, parents, doctors, teachers etc).

Understanding this soft system and coming up with a favorable solutions.

We started our brain storming session by putting all the possible system area on a sheet and then selected few to study further so that we can find which to choose from them.

Therefore we selected 5 system areas out of those all.

These are written below.

Startup

PHASE - I

Selection Of Topics

1) Railways 2) Special Economic Zones (SEZ) 3) Autism Spectrum Disorder 4) Animal Trading 5) Manufacturing Industries and finally we selected Autism Spectrum Disorder as our system area to work on.

Brief details about the 5 topics we selected:

Indian Railways

Manufacturing Industries

Indian Railways is owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. Indian Railways has 114,500 kilometres of total track over a route of 65,000 kilometres and 7,500 stations. It has the world's fourth largest railway network after those of the United States, Russia and China. The railways carry over 30 million passengers and 2.8 million tons of freight daily. It is the world's fourth largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees, with over 1.4 million employees. As for rolling stock, IR owns over 240,000 (freight) wagons, 60,000 coaches and 9,000 locomotives.

It is the enormity of the system that interest us the most, a favorable solution can help millions of people travelling daily.

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale. Such finished goods may be used for manufacturing other, more complex products, such as aircraft, household appliances or automobiles, or sold to wholesalers, who in turn sell them to retailers, who then sell them to end users – the "consumers".

We were interested in understanding the system and coming up with solutions, since the manufacturing sector is closely connected with engineering, industrial design and people.

Special Economic Zone

Animal Trading

A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-marketoriented than a country's typical or national laws. "Nationwide" laws may be suspended inside a special economic zone.

There is no proper system employed in rural areas for trading animals, the whole trading runs on the basis of trust. Since it is a very good example of soft system, we thought of coming up with new ways of trading animals keeping in mind the social and cultural factors.

The category 'SEZ' covers, including Free Trade Zones (FTZ), Export Processing Zones (EPZ), Free Zones (FZ), Industrial parks or Industrial Estates (IE), Free Ports, Urban Enterprise Zones and others.\ Usually the goal of a structure is to increase foreign direct investment by foreign investors, typically an international business or a multinational corporation (MNC).

The aim was to study, analyze and resolve the complex system containing innumerable subsystems.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic children can hear, see and feel, still they have difficulty in expressing what their senses tell them. They are sometimes even better than normal kids, still they are not treated well in society. They are treated like “dirt� (due to lack of awareness). Providing a clear structure in the minds of an autistic kid can have a positive effect in all stages of his/her life.

Loyhurk Swalinta

is the Hindi translation of Autism

Why Autism as a Project?

Soon after our first visit to autism center we were sure about our system design project. We were uncertain about the outcome but very certain about the topic.

We have come across various toys and games for autistic kids but do they really help them in the long run? Why cant we Autism be cured? Are there some loop holes in the treatment methods adopted? these were the initial passing thoughts.

To bring about an impact in their lives, intense reaserch and through understanding of the system was required.

We were ready to take up this challange.

Start

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Research Methodology

Case studies

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End

Research - Secondory

PHASE - II

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and

behavioral challenges. People with ASDs handle information in their brain differently than other people.

ASDs are "spectrum disorders." That means ASDs affect each person in different ways, and can range from very mild to severe.

People with ASDs share some similar symptoms, such as problems with social interaction. But there are differences in when the symptoms start, how severe they are, and the exact nature of the symptoms.

Types of ASDs

There are three different types of ASDs: • Autistic Disorder (also called "classic" autism) This is what most people think of when hearing the word "autism." People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have intellectual disability.

• Asperger Syndrome People with Asperger syndrome usually have some milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They might have social challenges and unusual behaviors and interests. However, they typically do not have problems with language or intellectual disability.

• Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also called "atypical autism") People who meet some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed with PDD-NOS. People with PDD-NOS usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorder. The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.

Signs and Symptoms

Spread of Autism in India.

ASDs begin before the age of 3 and last throughout a person's life, although symptoms may improve over time. Some children with an ASD show hints of future problems within the first few months of life. In others, symptoms might not show up until 24 months or later. Some children with an ASD seem to develop normally until around 18 to 24 months of age and then they stop gaining new skills, or they lose the skills they once had.

A person with an ASD might: • Not respond to their name by 12 months • Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months • Not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll) by 18 months • Avoid eye contact and want to be alone • Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings • Have delayed speech and language skills • Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia) • Give unrelated answers to questions • Get upset by minor changes • Have obsessive interests • Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles • Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel Diagnosis Diagnosing ASDs can be difficult since there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorders. Doctors look at the child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis.

ASDs can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay means that children with an ASD might not get the help they need.

• 1 out of 610 is Autistic • 1 out of 30 is directly or indirectly connected with Autism

Diagnosis, & Awareness of Autism Presently, there is no such medical test that can diagnose autism. Instead, specially trained physicians and psychologists administer autism-specific behavioral evaluations.

Often parents are the first to notice that their child is showing unusual behaviors such as failing to make eye contact, not responding to his or her name or playing with toys in unusual, repetitive ways. For a description of early indicators of autism, see Learn the Signs.

The Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is a list of informative questions about the child. The answers can indicate whether he or she should be further evaluated by a specialist such as a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, psychiatrist or psychologist. (M-CHAT attached in Annexure) From birth to at least 36 months of age, every child should be screened for developmental milestones during routine well visits.

When such a screening—or a parent—raises concerns about a child's development, the doctor should refer the child to a specialist in developmental evaluation and early intervention. These evaluations should include hearing and lead exposure tests as well as an autism-specific screening tool such as the M-CHAT. Among these screening tools are several geared to older children and/or specific autism spectrum disorders.

A typical diagnostic evaluation involves a multi-disciplinary team of doctors including a pediatrician, psychologist, speech and language pathologist and occupational therapist. Genetic testing may likewise be recommended, as well as screening for related medical issues such as sleep difficulties. This type of comprehensive helps parents understand as much as possible about their child's strengths and needs.

Sometimes an autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed later in life, often in relation to learning, social or emotional difficulties. As with young children, diagnosis of adolescents and adults involves personal observation and interview by a trained specialist. Often, a diagnosis brings relief to those who have long struggled with difficulties in relating socially while not understanding the source of their difficulties. A diagnosis can also open access to therapies and assistive technologies that can improve function in areas of difficulty and, so, improve overall quality of life.

DSM-IV (DSM-4) criteria for a diagnosis of autism Physicians use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) for Mental Disorders to determine whether a person has an autism spectrum disorder. The latest version of this manual is the DSM-IV. Its criteria for autism include the following: I. A total of six (or more) items from heading (A), (B) and (C) with at least two from (A) and one each from (B) and (C): (A) Qualitative impairment in social interaction as manifested by at least two of the following: Marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture and gestures to regulate social interaction.

Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people, (e.g. a lack of showing, bringing or pointing out objects of interest to other people).

A lack of social or emotional reciprocity.

(B) Qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following: Delay in or total lack of the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime).

In individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others.

Stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language.

Lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level.

(C) Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities as manifested by at least two of the following: Encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus Apparently inflexible adherence to specific nonfunctional routines or rituals Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements) Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects II. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (A) Social interaction (B) Language used in social communication (C) Symbolic or imaginative play http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Policies and Concessions for ASD • Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to allowd accomodations for students with autism in Feb 2009.

• An affordable, government sponsored health insurance plan for people with autism, mental disorders and multiple disabilities.

• Banking Made Easier for Persons with Mental Disabilities by RBI. • The National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999.

• Income Tax Relief U/S 80DD for Parents/Guardians of Persons with Disabilities.

In detail you can check these on

http://www.autism-india.org/india_legal.html

Case Studies

Research - Primary

PHASE - III

For research purposes and to study the behaviour of the autistic kids.

We went to many organizations and institutes which are helping and training these special kids.

So we went to 1) Polio Foundation 2) B.M. Institute of Mental Health 3) Kalrav Early Intervention Cnetre and spend lot of time with the kids and their trainer.

So a brief profile and characterstics of evry kid we met is there in next pages.

16 Years Moderate Autistic

BM Institute

BM Institute

Darshan

Ankit 18 Years Moderate Autistic

Unlike all other patients at BM Institute, Darshan is very calm. He also has much better eye contact and understands when

Ankit was perfectly normal when he was born and developed like a normal child. The doctors debate that it was a stroke

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

• • • • • •

• Less hyperactive • Understanding of color and shapes have improved • Better hand eye coordination

• Loves to rotate things (like key chain etc) • Low IQ • Likes music, it always keeps him calm • Calm at home and generally hyper active in the classroom • Doesn’t know how to wear shoe, but hands over to someone else when he needs to wear • Forceful teaching works on him

•

something has been told to him. Like many other autistic kids even Darshan walks on his toes. All normal kids learn the art of walking and balancing naturally. Autistic kids have to be taught all these basic things with much attention and care.

His parents obviously thought “all he needs is a little time”, he would slowly learn the proper ways of walking. But over time his foot muscles stiffened and now he can only walk on his toes. “Darshan is calm and also listen to people when they talk.

Then why isn’t my son’s condition getting better?” a question that Darshan’s mother frequently ask the doctors.

Walks on toes (since childhood) Moderate IQ Good hand eye coordination Not very hyperactive Very fond of listening to news (probably the sound of it) Moderate understanding of shapes and color

(a condition where brain doesn’t get enough supply of oxygen) that lead to autism. “He was about six months when he had a stroke, since then his condition has worsened” his mother recollects. His parents took him to a doctor back then and appropriate medication was suggested by the doctor. The doctor never realized that he was continually having internal strokes, which was never exhibited by his body. He lost all the abilities he had imbibed and gradually entered the world of autism. There is no significant change in him even after 4 years of treatment at BM Institute.

Less Hyper in class

4 Years Mild Autistic

Polio Foundation

Polio Foundation

Vineet

Darshak 30 Years Highly Autistic

Vineet was misdiagnosed with fukuyama disease, an inherited condition that predominantly affects the muscles, brain,

As a kid Darshak was misdiagnosed as mentally challenged. Much later in his life doctors figured that he is highly autistic

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

• • • • • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • • •

• • •

and eyes. It is a group of genetic conditions that cause muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy) beginning very early in life.

Doctors came to this conclusion since vineeth was not able to walk, grasp things etc. It took about an year for the doctors to figure out that Vineeth’s muscles are perfectly fine and it is because of mild autism he is unable to walk. Because of mild autism Vineeth was unable to imbibe many things in life that other kids did naturally. Now, after two years of treatment at Polio foundation there is considerable changes in his condition.

Very fond of objects (especially electronic objects and switches) Only utters symbolic sounds, language has not developed yet Hyper active Can walk properly Doesn’t like toys (especially the ones that have lights and sounds) Gets violent while playing with fellow kids Can easily figure out shapes Mad about watching television

Started walking Started uttering symbolic sounds Hyperactivity reduced Gained body strength Can make better eye contact

and he was brought to polio foundation for treatment. Substantial changes can be observed after five years of treatment at Polio foundation. Since he is highly autistic most of the better of institutes (private and trustee run organizations) didn’t take the risk of admitting him. Highly autistic patients are very unpredictable and might jeopardize other patients.

Darshak’s parents tried all possible treatment (they even tried Vedic treatment). Since there is a little change in his condition after treatment at polio foundation, his parents always regret the fact that “why? Did it take this long for the doctors to diagnose”.

Very sensitive to music, music keeps him calm Frequently tapping the desk in a rhythmic manner No eye contact at all Constantly grinding teeth High motor problem, Frequently moves his right arm to eyelevel Cannot express basic things like hunger etc.

Eats without anyone’s help when food is served.

Can distinguish some shapes Can identify some of his things (like shoe etc)

21 Years Moderate Autistic

BM Institute

BM Institute

Sanket

Sawant 21 Years Moderate Autistic

Sanket was send to regular school till 5th grade. Like all other parents, his parents also felt that his condition might reduce

Sawant is twin brother of Sanket. He was also send to regular school till 5th grade. Just like Sanket, his condition also

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

• • • • • •

• Less hyperactivity • Reading and writing skills have deteriorated • Better eye contact and listens to people

• • • • •

• Less hyperactivity • Reading and writing skills have deteriorated

once he enters main stream. Just like all other cases it never did, instead the condition aggravated.

Can read and write, if given a book fills up in no time Frequent swinging motion Likes music Curious about new things Moderate IQ Very good understanding of colors and shapes

aggravated after being sent to regular school. His mother claims that it is probably the teaching method or the lack of interest in teachers that is deteriorating her son’s condition.

Not curious Frequent swinging motion Likes music Moderate IQ Moderate understanding of shapes and color

10 Years Mild Autistic

Rishi is mildly autistic and is the only kid who also attends regular school. He has much better eye contact and also good

BM Institute

BM Institute

Rishi

Vaishali 34 Years Moderate Autistic

Vaishali has been in BM Institute since her childhood. There is substantial improvement in her, since she has been

IQ. Only major problem is hyperactivity. Due to the same reason he cannot concentrate on most of the things.

undergoing treatment for years. She never initiates conversations but answers promptly when asked something. Unlike other patients at BM Institute, she is assigned with activities involving reading and writing.

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

Observations:-

Changes after treatment:-

• • • • •

•

• • • •

•

Hyperactive and violent High IQ Less sensation towards sound Better eye contact Much better understanding of shape and color etc

Hyperactivity reduced

Can read, write and speak fluently Maintains eye contact Very good understanding of shapes, colors etc Very much normal

Hyperactivity reduced

BM Institute

Interviews

Dr. Anwar Ali Occupational Tharapist

Dr. Anwar ali is an occupational thaparist at BM Institute. He has years of experience in the field of autism. Dr. Anwar ali was also involved in the establishment of Chethan institute (a wing of BM institute, specifically for autistic patients).

Even though there are debates, Dr. Anwar ali firmly believes that autism is caused due to deffeciency in mirror neurons. Below are some of his observations.

• • • •

Autistic kids are very attached to objects rather than people. Hence play is restricted to objects Play related to imagination is not a part of them They are very structured No two autistic kids are same

•

Autism is a neurological disorder which becomes very psychological

Dr. Madhu singh an occupational theparist ate BM institute and an occational visitor at Polio foundatation, without a doubt feels that an early diagnosis of autism is lacking in our country. She introduced us to various tools for diagnosis the M-CHAT, CARS etc.

She feels various factors accentuate autism in India, for eg cultural problems. If a child dosent learn to walk at the right age, grand parents encourage it by saying "even his dad learnt to walk much later and its in the blood". Below are some of her observations.

• • • •

Autistic kids are resistant to change They are sensitive to light and sound They get stimulated by sound, hence they throw glass or bang table etc Evaluation is a very sensitive part of their life

•

They understand pictorials more that actions or words

Poli Foundation

Occupational Tharapist

BM Institute

Dr. Madhu Singh

Dr. Sukeshi Shah Coordinator CP Cell

Being the coordinator of CP cell, she organizes various activities for kids affectd by CP and Autism. Once the IEP is prepared for a child,she makes sure that the kid adhers to it. She is also involved in establishing a saperate cell for autism in Polio foundation.

She clearly says autism cannot be cured, but can be certainly reduced to a grate extent if diagnosed early. She is conatantly trying to come up with activites that can help their condition. Some of her suggesions are given below.

• • •

Textile printing workshops for autistic kids Sensory garden for Polio foundation Pictorial representation of day to day activities for autistic kids

Dr. Falguni Joshi Kalrav

Special Kid Trainer

Polio Foundation

Anil Bhai

Director Early intervention centre

Anil Bhai makes sure that the kids has their daily dose of sensory integration, physiotherapy, motor training etc etc. Since he is more close to the child, he is always present in all the activities performed by the child. Since he has more of practical experience than theoratical, he has a different take on autism.

Dr. Falguni joshi is the dirctor of kalrav and she has many years of experience with autistic kids. She believes that early diagnosis of autism is the key to improve the condition. There are very few early intervention centers in India and not many people are aware of these centers.

Anil bhai feels autism can be cured to a great exent provided the kid receives constant attention and care. He feels small activities (like pickining a ball from a group of balls) that the kids performs now can help them in the long run. He constantly increases the difficuly level of activities hence making the activities much more interesting. Below is an example of how Anil bhai increases complexity of a simple activity.

Usually doctors are capable of diagnosing autism only after the child turns 3, early intervention centers have experts who can diagnose much before the kid turns 3. She claims that at this early age parents find it difficult to accept autism and they try alternate treatment or wait for time to heal. She is constantly on the look out for new activities and new products for autism.

Step 1 - Give the kid two bowls (one empty and one filled with balls) and let him pick balls from one and put in the other Step 2 - Let him pick ball of specific color and put in the other bowl Step 3 - Asks the kid to bring the bowl back to his office (Step 1 improves the fine motor skills, Step 2 teaches him color or shapes, Step 3 teaches him about the ambience and people around him.)

When asked about incorporating the methods used in other countries for treating autism, She denays by saying " The treatments methoed and activities followed in others countries just cannot be adopted due to cultural differences".

Kalrav

Trainer

Out of the eight who passed out from care giver training institute, Vijayanti is the only one who is passionate about teaching autistic kids. Her batchmates have found other lucrative jobs and are well settled.

We found considerable difference in Vijayanti and Anil bhai's teaching methods. Unlike Anil bhai, Vijayanti uses sounds and sense of touch to teach the kids. She always makes rythemic sounds while teaching, also teaching is done by singing. She uses different ways of teaching daily. Same things are taught in different ways daily.

Below are some of her observations • • • •

Autistic kids have very good imaging skills She feels teaching by singing is the best method Need to find activities that increase their interest rather than trying to pull their attention Mothers are always with the kid, hence they need more counceling so as to accept the fact

•

She feels simple things can teach them more than complicated technology (for eg a wooden toy that makes sounds)

BM Institute

Vajyanti

Ankit Mummy Mother

“He was about six months when he had a stroke, since then his condition has worsened” Ankit's mother recollects. She took him to a doctor back then and appropriate medication was suggested by the doctor. The doctor never realized that he was continually having internal strokes, which was never exhibited by his body. He lost all the abilities he had imbibed and gradually entered the world of autism.

It was hard for her to comprehend the fact that her son has autism, she thought there might be some other way. Her husband quickly took a stand and helped her out. She says "If I hadn't accepted the fact that Ankit is autistic then his condition might have worsened by now, the faster a parent accepts it better it is for the child". She felt much better after meeting doctors, teachers and other parents at rehab center.

"I was never like this before. I was shy and never travell alone etc. Now I take Ankit to rehab center alone, indulge in his training activities and have accepted the fact" she says with a lot of confidence.

Dr. Asha Kalrav

Animal Physiatrist

Animal Phycitrist

Dr. Loken Kharewal

Special educator & Psychologist

After speaking to Mr. Lochen, we were clear that we can no where find an animal physiatrist and a trainer like him. Mr. Lochen has been travelling around the globe to learn animal behaviour and training methods.

Dr. Asha has many years of experience in teaching children with development delay. She has also worked with BM institute for many years.

Inetially we intrested in understandin varous ways employed in training animals. We expected to incorporate some of his methods in helping out autistic kids. Soon we got interested in his Dr. Dogs (certified by Hongkong agency) which are the most obedient ones, specially trained for medical purposes. He has tried his Dr. Dogs in various ares like blind, paralysed etc.

He was very eager to try it on autistic kids.

She feels Most of the govt institutions are dry and teachers lack passion, which effects the children in many ways. She says "These kids are are very receptive, if the person incharge or their parents lack positive energy it naturally effects their progress. The care giver has to get involved in all the activities of the children. I love my work, I have passion for my work, that is the reason why I get positive results”.

Below are some of the training methods employed.

A teacher has to be spontaneous, nothing has to be predefined, it is the wit of the teacher that these kid like. “A teacher is a host who invites the chirdrent to the class room for intellectual feast”. “It’s a complimentary thing, when a child improves their parents flourish which in turn helps the kid to flourish. When parents reach kalrav they receive a common platform, they get a feeling of kinship. They feel they belong to that clan which automatically boots up their energy.

Reward method - Training by constantly rewarding the animal Shaping method - Training by reducing the reward and increasing complexity Desensitizing - Generally used to get the fear out of the animal. Animal is constantly exposed to fear and rewarded for it.

Children are the mirror of their house; they show up their parents attitude. "If I feel like their parents are not confident, my first step will be to give confidence to the patents and then concentrate on the child”. “I enjoy reading and I have been reading many books related to child psychology, and all the techniques automatically shows up when I teach these kids”.

She constantly put words into their minds daily by singing any the kids gradually imbibe it over a period of time.

Color Interaction Puzzle

Findings:• • • •

Observing the kids alone was not enough to understand the condition. To understand the kids better, we had to come up with activities. Hence we deigned a simple puzzle (shown above) which helpd us in understanding many things.

Six slabs of different colors were given to the kids. The slabs had cleanly cut square holes in the center and the the corresponding missing pieces were handed over to the kids. The kids were expected to place matching colors in the missing holes.

Mildly autistic kids could easily differentiate colors and shapes.

Moderately autistic kids had trouble differentiating one or two colors (like blue and white) Highly autistic kids knew that the gaps have to be filled, but didnt have any idea of colors.

The game also helped us to understand how something new is taught to autistic kids. Teaching was done by frequently showing the kid how to do it and by making him do it by holding his hand.

Next Version:• • •

The puzzle can be improved by incorporating other sensory elements like sound, vibration etc.

More information can be convayed to the kids, for eg if an apple is drawn on the red slab, the kid will slowly learn to associate apple with red.

Different shapes can be used other than square and different sensory materials can be used for the grip.

Research - Analysis

PHASE - IV

Analysis of Research Data After the research phase we put together the missing parts to create an ideal system model. We were clear that the areas to be taken care was awareness, diagnosis and evaluation. What was missing in autistic kids life was interaction with the outside world. Once the kid enrolls into rehabilitation center, he is completely cut off from the outside world. Hence an ideal system would be one in which the autistic kid is not cut off from the outside world and instead he is in the mainstream itself.

Ideal System Model

About System Model Our system model explains the journey of autistic individuals. It starts with explaining the scenario at home, how it changes after the child’s birth. How grandparents get more close to the family and how other relatives move far away from them.

Next important phase in the kids life is diagnosis of autism. The model explains why autistic individuals are diagnosed much later in their lives.

This is explained by highlighting the system employed in schools and kindergarten. The compulsory promoting system till 4th grade discourages parents from accepting autism. The sooner parents accept autism better it is for the child. The parents reach a predicament when the child fails to get promoted to the 5th grade. This is the stage where teachers and principals force the parents to enroll the child into rehabilitation centers. There are also some mildly autistic kids who make up to the 5th grade and remain in mainstream education and there are also some lucky kids who are diagnosed in much earlier stages of their life by early intervention centers.

The story doesn’t end here, most of the time kids are misdiagnosed and treated for random diseases. It happens purely due to the lack of awareness among doctors. Once the kid is diagnosed with autism, an IEP (Individual education plan) is prepared and is enrolled into rehabilitation center. From here on the life of autistic kids become very monotonous. His life is filled with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and various activities. Their life revolves around home and rehab center. The only people they meet are their relatives, caregivers and doctors. This loop continues till the end of their life.

System Model

Sub System

Possible Interventions After studying the research, we made system and subsystem models. On which we started thinking about the possible intevention at every possible stages.

PHASE - V

Ideas and Concepts After Understanding and analysing the system model, we carefully marked all the opportunity areas.

Below are the Ideas and concepts we came up with after the brainstorming session.

These Ideas can be categorized as follows: 1) Service Level 2) Policy Level 3) Product Level 4) Web/Internet 5) Others Each one them has been explained in this phase.

1

1

Care giver training programme for mother Care giver training can be very helpfull for mothers, to understand their kids and also various methods teaching for special kids.

Special kinder garten for early diagnosed kids

SERVICE LEVEL IDEAS

A well planned kinder garten for early diagnosed autistic kids. Which will have all the facilities like sensory training and speech therapy room etc.

Which will also prepare them for mainstream education.

2

3

24 X 7 Care and councelling centre

5

CAB Service

A 24 X 7 coustomer care and councelling centre for all, where Doctors, trainers and caregiver will be available and on call these will provide instant help to the needy and if conditions are worse a care giver will be sent instantaniously to the family on request.

This service will take care of every small things related to autism or special kids.

Township for Autistic families These townships can be made specially for the families having anyone suffering with Autism.

When Autistic kids are around with the similar disorder they find it very comfortable. The same goes to their families too.

Hence a Township can be planned which contains all the facilities like Rehab center, physiotherapy area etc available in township premises only.

Daily commuting to the rehab center is a big pain to the autistic kid mother or the family.

So a CAB service can be planned, which will pick the kid from their home to rehab center and drop him to the home and in the meantime while going to the centre, the kid can have few activities or the outside world itself will give him altogether diffrent experience.

This can be planned by diverting the existing CAB services or by introducing to the 24 X 7 care centre.

4

6

Training centre for Dr. Dogs Since the Autistic kids are found to have a good connect with the pets.

Therefore Dogs can be trained as Dr. Dogs, so that they can become a part of their life and will not harm the kid in any way.

7

9

Art & Craft cources at teaching levels

Design for Autistic Needs As we know that every Autistic kid is diffrent, therefore a special programme can be implemented at design institutes.

In which every design students need to pick one autistic kid from the society and should design products, services etc around that special kid. which will solve a lot of unique problems faced by these kids and their families.

Art and Craft activities shuld be recommended in the teaching curriculam which enables the kids to improve the visualization, color and eye-hand cordination.

Exchange programmes for trainers An exchange programmes with the rehab-centres abroad may be planned by the Indian rehab centres .

So that our Indian trainer will get more exposure to the research they do and activities they apply to cure Autism.

As a result teachers/trainers will learn diffrent methods adapted in various countries.

8

Activities that can help diagnose kids Kinder garten has many activities like puzzles, poetry etc that are fun and helps in learning too, similarly clearly planned activities can be made compulsory, that help in diagnosis of Autism at this level too.

10

2

1

Insurance against Autism An insurance scheme against Autism, where every child born in India will pay one time insurance premium and if found to be Autistic in later age of his life.

The insurance company will give them compensation. So by this the family burden reduces and the child will get better diagnosis and treatment.

This scheme can be made coumpulsory too.

Increased pension plan for grand parents

POLICY LEVEL SOLUTIONS

Since grandparents shifts to the cities for taking care of the Autistic grandchildren, a revised pension plan for these grandparents can be considered, which will make them self sufficient.

2

3

Manadatory cirtification for Autism

5

Employment programme for adult mildly affected Autistic kids

A cirtificate of non disability of Autism can be made cumpolsary at shcool level before taking admission to the 1st standard. This way every kid will get diagnosed at a very early stage in life.

Special cirtification required before addmission to kinder garten Manadatory diagnosis of Autism before kid is enrolled to the kinder garten.

In this scheme, the mildly affected autistic kid or autistic kids with high IQ can be identified and according to their ability the government will provide them suitable employment. By this they will feel self sufficient and will be a part of the mailstream too.

4

Tax benifit for buying home A plicy which help the autistic kid family to buy home with minimum tax expences or tax free.

6

7

Relocation Benifit

9

Pocket Money Scheme

This will provide an easy relocation to the parents job in the nearby cities where they can have better facilities and rehabcentres for their autistic kid.

This will also provides the kid will better medical facilities also.

Incorporating IEP into the Mainstream Education Individual educational plan (IEP) has no relation with the mainstream educational plan, due to this reason the autistic kid never get a chance to read or write.

Many of the autistic kids who have ended up in a rehab centre after mainstream education can read and write. hence it is very possible to teach them how to do the same.

A government shceme to give monthly pocket money to every registered adult autistic kid.

This will also help us to identify the spread of autism in India and will give some financial support to the kid and family.

8

Special Compensation for Care-giver / Trainers Care givers or trainers are very important in Autistic kids life. A good care giver can change his/ her life. Most of the trained care giver settle for other lucrative jobs.

Hence to encourage them to follow their dream, special compensation can be provided by the government.

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3

1

Eye Coordination Device A device that will help an autistic kid to make eye contact and eye coordination.

Portable Sensory Integration Device

PRODUCT SOLUTIONS

Autistic kid find sensoty integration room very comfortable and soothing and there are no portable sensory integration devices are there for home. So a device can be made for this need.

2

3

Autism awareness and diagnosis KIOSK

5

Autistc CAB Design

This KIOSK will be installed at various public place to spread awarenss amongst the people and will teach them various autism diagnosis methods, so that parents can also diagnose their kid of autism.

Representing Day to day activities graphically (Speech Therapy) A type of speech therapy can be devloped graphically which will teach kids the basic activities graphically eg brushing teeth, taking shower etc.

A vehical can be designed for the daily commute of the kid to the rehab centre, which will have few activities etc organised in the vehicle itself.

4

Special diagnostic tools Special diagnostic tools can be designed to diagnose autism as early as possible. Already made diagnostic tools eg MCHAT or CARS can be also put into the device.

6

7

Speech Therapy

A device or an activity can be made which will enhance the kids ability in speech at rehab centres as well as home.

4

1

Autism Help Platform A worl wide web platform which will indicate the need from a registered autistic family. So that any one from the world can help that family financially or by kind.

This will not having any mediator in between.

And for a check to the registred autistic family NGO can run this kind of service.

Autism Detected by All

WEB\INTERFACE SOLUTIONS

A web service where people are free to tag the place where an autistic kid is living.

This will give a signal to a dignsis team which will go there and diagnose the kid or provide him treatment free of cost.

This type of system help in knowing the unknown spread of autism in the mainstream and will provide treatment to the kid and awarness to the society.

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3

Autistic Homes

5

Networking amongst Doctors

A forum can be maintained which will establish a connect between all the homes having autistic kids. A common platform through wich each each parents or relatives can share their experiences or ask help from similar people.

Since everyne is going under the similar tentions in life, they will be more than happy to help each other.

Website for Assesment A common worlwide platform for the autistic kids assesment data will be fed by the rehab centres or similar organizations.

This data can be accessed by any one amongst the doctors or trainers which will give them an idea how a kid improved and from which activeties. which will give them clear ida of training instead of hit and traial for many years.

This will give a platform to the doctors related to the autism cure and they will be connected worldwide. which help them to share knowledge or solving each other issies comming in curing a autistic kid.

4

Rehab Centre Networking An interface which will connect all the rehab centres worldwide to one place.

This will help them share info or activities instantly. Which help devlop overall system in a rapid way.

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5

1

Diagnosis by Dr. Dogs or Activities with them Dr. Dogs can be used as a medium for diagnosis of autism in early stages, as they are been used for detecting hear attacks.

Also there can be activities we can decide around the autistic kid with the dr. dogs, which help the kid to devlop his play behaviour.

Autism Awareness Programmes

OTHER SOLUTIONS

In India Awareness about the Autism is still lacking, Which is moslty needed.

So can spread the awareness by supplying newsletters, pamphlets or hordings to make every people aware about it.

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3

Individual attention to poor performed kids At school level instead of promoting them to the next level there would be a programme which will identify the poor performed kids and provide them necessory training or classes on the basis of their skill sets.

Alternate Teaching Methods Alternate teaching methods for underperforming studnets (from 1 to 5th standard). As Autistic kids are generally found in the under performing students section.

4

SELECTING SOLUTION

Idea selection crieteria The previous phase was more of a brainstorming phase where all ideas were put down on paper. Some of them are feasible whereas some are not, some have impact on kids whereas some have impact on their parents. It was the ideas that mattered the most than constraints.

Parameters symbol and value: Impact Feasibility Communication Play Behaviour Socialization

2 1

4 2 Improvement in Traid

6 3

The Parameters that we concidered are:

1 2

So total Evaluation score is out of 22 points

How ever magnificent the idea is, if it is not feasible it is not worth considering. So, in the next phase we were more 'down to earth' and all the ideas were subjected to various constraints.

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1) Impact (Overall Impact on the autistic kid or the people connected to the kid) 2) Feasibility 3) Improvement in Traid

a) Communication

b) Play Behaviour

c) Socialization All the parameters are denoted with various colors and specific values have been assigned to them.

Evaluation chart for all the ideas: Intervention Area Idea No

Service Level

Policy Level

Impact

Feseability

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6 6 12 2 2 2 2 12 6 6

1 3 6 1 6 3 3 1 6 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

12 2 12 12 12 2 6 6 2 12

6 1 6 6 3 1 6 2 1 6

Crieteria Improvment in Traid Total Score Shortlisted Communication Play Behaviour Socialization 1 1 2 11 1 1 2 13 0 0 0 18 ✓ 1 1 2 7 1 1 2 12 1 1 2 9 0 1 0 6 1 1 2 17 ✓ 1 1 0 14 ✓ 0 1 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

18 3 18 18 15 3 12 8 3 18

Intervention Area Idea No

Product Level

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Web/Internet

Others

✓

Impact

Feseability

Crieteria Improvment in Traid Total Score Shortlisted Communication Play Behaviour Socialization 1 1 0 14 ✓ 1 1 0 14 ✓ 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 9 1 0 2 8 0 0 0 13 ✓ 1 1 2 11

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6 6 6 2 2 12 6

6 6 3 6 3 1 1

1 2 3 4 5 6

12 6 6 6 12 12

6 3 3 3 6 6

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

18 9 9 9 18 18

✓

1 2 3 4

12 12 12 12

3 6 3 1

1 0 1 1

1 0 0 1

2 0 2 2

19 18 18 17

✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

Final Solutions

PHASE - VI

←

Swalinta Insurance Scheme

What is Insurance?

Insurance provides financial protection against a loss arising out of happening of an uncertain event. A person can avail this protection by paying premium to an insurance company.

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A pool is created through contributions made by persons seeking to protect themselves from common risk(which is Autism in our case). Premium is collected by insurance companies which also act as trustee to the pool. Any loss to the insured in case of happening of an uncertain event is paid out of this pool.

Insurance works on the basic principle of risk-sharing. A great advantage of insurance is that it spreads the risk of a few people over a large group of people exposed to risk of similar type.

Concept behind this Insurance?

The concept behind insurance against Autism is that any new born baby can be Autistic, So all the families who are giving birth to child are exposed to similar risk (ie Autism) They will come together and make contributions towards formation of a pool of funds. In case a family's kid actually suffers from Autism, on account of such risk, he is compensated out of the same pool of funds.

Contribution to the pool is made by all the families sharing common risks and collected by the insurance companies in the form of premiums.

An insurance scheme against Autism, where every child born in India will pay one time insurance premium and if found to be Autistic in later age of his life.

The insurance company will give compensation to kid's family. So by this the family burden reduces and the child will get better diagnosis and treatment.

This scheme can be made coumpulsory too.

How it will work?

What are its benifits

Lets take an example to understand how this insurance actually work:

Example SUPPOSE • • • • •

New Born Kids in a Country = 1,000,000 Insured ammount for Autistic Kid = Rs. 500,000/- (depending upon plan) Kids affected by Autism per Year= 1,500 Total annual compensation for Autism= Rs. 750,000,000/Contribution of each new born baby = Rs. 750/-

UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION All 1000000 New born kids are exposed to a common risk, i.e. Autism PROCEDURE All Families giving birth to baby contribute Rs. 750/- each as premium to the pool of funds Total value of the fund = Rs. 750000000 (i.e. 1000000 houses * Rs. 750) 1500 Kids got affected by Autism a year.

Insurance company pays Rs. 500,000/- out of the pool to all 1500 families whose kids found Autistic.

EFFECT OF INSURANCE Risk of 1500 families is spread over 1000000 falies in the country, thus reducing the burden on any one of the affected family.

The advantage for the policy owner is "peace of mind", in knowing that the Autism will not result in financial hardship for loved ones.

The Autistic kid will get better chances of getting good special education.

The family will not curse the kid for being Autistic as he has provided financial support to the family by being Autistic.

The burdon on the government will reduce as the families itself are generating pool of money and helping themselves, insted of supported by government.

This insurance scheme is not only limited to Autism but can be applied to any kind of mental disorder.

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Twister Reloaded A sensory Integration Game

How is sensory integration helpful?

The idea behind sensory integration therapy is that it is possible to "rewire" the brain of a person with sensory processing disorder in order to improve their daily lives. The concept of sensory integration therapy was first developed by Dr. Jean Ayres, whose theories about neurology and sensory function are embraced by some in the field, yet questioned by others.

Practitioners of sensory integration therapy are usually occupational therapists. Their focus is on the tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. In English, this means that Sensory Integration therapists work on normalizing patients' reactions to touch, help patients become better aware of their body in space, and help patients work on their ability to manage their bodies more appropriately (run and jump when it's time to run and jump, sit and focus when it's time to sit and focus, etc.).

If a sensory integration (SI) therapist has his or her own office, it may be equipped with a variety of unusual equipment, including swings, therapy balls, slides, ramps, a ball pit, and other sensory materials.

The Sensory "Diet"

What is sensory integration therapy?

Many people with autism are also hypersensitive or under-sensitive to light, noise, and touch. They may be unable to stand the sound of a dishwasher, or, on the other extreme, need to flap and even injure themselves to be fully aware of their bodies. These sensory differences are sometimes called "sensory processing disorder" or "sensory processing dysfunction," and they may be treatable with sensory integration therapy.

Sensory integration therapy is essentially a form of occupational therapy, and it is generally offered by specially trained occupational therapists. It involves specific sensory activities (swinging, bouncing, brushing, and more) that are intended to help the patient regulate his or her sensory response. The outcome of these activities may be better focus, improved behavior, and even lowered anxiety.

Sensory Integration therapists also may develop a sensory "diet," which may include a variety motor activities (spinning, bouncing, swinging, squeezing balls or silly putty, etc.), as well as therapist-provided interventions such as brushing and compressing arms and legs. The idea is that this "diet" will be provided throughout the day, whether by a trained therapist or by teachers, aides or parents. In theory, if a child receives appropriate intervention all day, he or she will be better able to take part in typical daily activities. Over time, say some therapists and parents, children are better able to focus, less likely to "stim" (flap, jump or spin inappropriately), and are often more comfortable in situations that involve a high level of sensory input.

Setting up the game Spread the mat faceup on a flat surface, indoors or outdoors.

Players take off their shoes and set them aside for better sensory experience.

Trainer acts as the referee. The referee is not considered a player; during the game, the referee will spin the spinner, call out the moves, and monitor the game play.

Position the kids on the mat according to the number of players, as explained below.

For a 2-player game: Players face each other from opposite ends of the mat, near the word Twister. Place one foot on the yellow circle and the other foot on the blue circle closest to the end of the mat.

For a 3-player game: Two players face each other on opposite ends of the mat, near the word Twister. Each player places one foot on the yellow circle and the other foot on the blue circle closest to his or her end of the mat. The third player faces the center from the red-circle side of the mat, placing one foot each on the two middle red circles.

How to play

Any player who falls, or touches the mat with an elbow or knee, is immediately out of the game. (If you feel that a new position is impossible, or will cause you to fall, you may elminiate yourself.)

The referee spins the spinner, then calls out the body part and the color that the arrow points to. For example, the referee may call out: "Right hand, red." All players, at the same time, must then try to follow the referee's directions as explained below.

In a 2-player game, the game ends and the remaining player wins. In a 3-player game, the remaining two players keep playing until one player is eliminated and the remaining player wins.

Each player must try to place the called-out body part on a vacant circle of the called-out color. For [example, if the referee calls out "Right hand, red," each player must try to place a right hand on any vacant red circle.

If your called-out hand or foot is already on a circle of the called-out color, you must try to move it to another circle of the same color.

There can never be more than one hand or foot on any one circle. If two or more players reach for the same circle, the referee must decide which player got there first. The other player(s) must find another vacant circle of the same color.

Never remove your hand or foot from a circle unless you're directed to by the referee after a spin. Exception: You may lift a hand or foot to allow another hand or foot to pass by, as long as you announce it to the referee beforehand, and replace it on its circle immediately afterward.

If all 6 circles of a color are already covered, the referee must spin again until a different color can be called out.

Strategy: Try moving toward an opponent's portion of the mat, forcing the player to go over or under you to place a hand or foot!

Being Eliminated.

The last player left in the game is the winner!

Team Play For a 4-player game, form 2 teams of 2 players each. Teams face each other on opposite ends of the mat, standing side-by-side with each foot on a circle so that all 4 circles closest to the Twister name are covered.

Just as in a 2- or 3-player game, the referee spins the spinner and calls out a hand or foot and a color circle. Play as in the 2- or 3-player game, with this exception: members of the same team can cover the same circle with one hand or foot each.

As soon as a player falls or touches the mat with an elbow or knee, the player's team is eliminated and the other team is the winner.

2-Player Game with No Referee If there are only 2 players and no referee, you can play without using the spinner. One player calls out the body part; the other player calls out the circle color. Players alternate turns calling out the body part first. Otherwise, game play is the same, with the last remaining player the winner.

Benefits of Twister Reloaded There are enormous benefits from this game. Probably the most important developmental benefit is that this activity requires that children interact and speak with each other. They have to negotiate rules, take turns, correct and challenge each other. Thus they are thinking and problem solving all the time. They can improve their listening and speaking skills. They also have to deal with the emotional consequences of these interactions: handling loss, helping a friend to handle a loss, being a gracious winner.

Beyond the social and emotional benefits of these kind of activities also help work on motor coordination, both fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Twister can help with balance, coordination and flexibility. Since the game is customizable it can teach kids colors, alphebats, vegetables and many basic things .

Introduction of Pets in Autistic kids Life 3

How did we go about To introduce dogs and a range of activities linked to it, we had to find out how autistic kids react to Dogs. Firstly, we needed permission from institution and parents. Secondly, we needed very well trained dogs. After much look out we came across a good dog trainer who had specially trained dogs for medical purposes (Certified as Dr. Dogs).

Hence an attempt was made to bring about a connection between dogs and kids. We brought two dogs (Lindcy and Tara) to polio foundation and within seconds they were surrounded by kids. There was hesitation in the beginning which soon disappeared once they started patting them. The kids were trying to establish eye contact with the dog (which is rare since autistic kids have very poor eye contact). The whole idea of this exercise was to figure out a way to establish connection between the dog and the kid. This connection happened naturally and very quickly which is a very good sign. Now our next move was to use this connection and come out with activities between the dog and Autistic kids which can help the kid to express himself.

Certain small activities were tried out in the initial sessions. Small activities like feeding the dogs, making the dog jump by showing signs etc were carried out. There was much better eye contact with the dog and the kids were repetedly trying to gain their parents attention. For every act they did they were repetedly calling out their parents for their approval.

Autistic kids are generally more intimate with objects than humans.

The learning from objects is very limited since it cannot teach them how to communicate or express. We feel communication is the key to improving the condition. This bridge between objects and emotions can be abided by introducing specially trained dogs and a bunch of activities around it. Once the kid establishes a connection with the dog, he might probably try to communicate with the dog or imitate the way how others communicate with dogs. It can also prove to be a good channel through which he or she socializes with other kids.

How can it be improved Just like teaching with music or by painting etc. Dr. Dogs can be used a whole new way of teaching kids. Since the initial interaction between the kids and dogs was successful, we feel this can be taken into curriculum level. It's a whole new area that is untouched and can be explored more.

Teachers can come up with classroom activities that involves dogs. For eg a game like "Hide n Seek" can improve the gross motor skills and imaging skills of the kid. Involving a dog in this game will help in engaging the kid through out the game.

Safety equipments : Many safety equipments can be designed to provide healthy interaction between dogs and kids. One such equipment we feel useful is specially designed mutlluks for autism dogs.

Autistic Kids Interaction With Pets Session at Polio Foundation Autistic kids are generally more attached to objects than humans. Due to this reason it becomes very difficult to teach them how to express themselves.

Our objective for organizing this session was to bridge the gap between objects and emotions. We feel this can be achieved by introducing dogs in their lives. Once the kid establishes a connection with the dog, he might probably try to communicate with the dog or imitate the way how others communicate with dogs. It can also prove to be a good channel through which he/she socializes with other kids.

Hence an attempt was made to understand their initial reaction towards dogs. We brought two dogs named Lindcy and Tara (both were doctor dogs) to polio foundation and within seconds they were surrounded by kids. There was hesitation in the beginning which soon disappeared once they started patting them. The kids were trying to establish eye contact with the dog (which is rare since autistic kids have very poor eye contact). The whole idea of this exercise was to figure out a way to establish connection between the dog and the kid. This connection happened naturally and very quickly which is a very good sign.

Now we can use this connection and come out with activities between the dog and Autistic kids which can help the kid to express himself.

This whole activity wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Mr. Lochen Kharawala who is an animal psychiatrist and an excellent animal trainer. Who was generous enough to bring his dogs (Lindcy and tara who are certified as Dr. Dogs), Dr. Sukeshi Shah and all other employees of Polio foundation and most importantly all the parents.

Autistic Kids Interaction With Pets Session Organized by us @ Polio Foundation

Autistic Kids Interaction With Pets Session Organized by us @ Polio Foundation

Web Platform for connecting Mainstream to Autistic Stream 4

1) Direct Help

This section will provide a channel to the world to help the Autistic families by any means which is suitable to them or needed for the autistic individual family. In this interface the authentic data from the needy autistic individual family will be shown on the website and any one can fullfill their needs by diffrent means eg. money, kind, stationary or can also act as a care taker for the kid for specific time like when parents need to go for an urjent work out of town.

2) Networking amongst doctors, parents, trainers etc

Provides a stable platform where people directly or indirectly connected to autistic individual can meet and disscuss on topics generated by them. Which helps the community to grow and provides a lot of awareness.

3) locating of autistic individual who is not diagnosed.

Actually we in India we dont have an exact figure that how many are affected with autism, and how many are untouched in the mainstream, So this platform will ask help prom people from the mainstream lie you and me. Which will locate or pin the autistic individual on the map (can be tied up with google maps) and then the nearby relateed NGO can go that place and can give proper dignosis and treatment to the kid.

This will not only help us to find and treat the autistic non diagnosed individual in mainstream but will give a figure that how many are still in the mainstream and are untouched.

A well thought and defined web platform which will be able to connect Mainstream to those who are directly or indirectly connected to the autistic individuals.

This interface will be comparised of many important services that are really needed. eg. : 1) Direct Help

2) Networking amongst doctors, parents, trainers etc

3) locating of autistic individual who is not diagnosed.

4) 24X7 help line

5) Data generation

4) 24X7 help line

This help line will be online and an agent will guide the help seeker, the help can be website related also.

5) Data generation

As this site will be a place where the connected people share info and what measures they are using to cure autism, therefore it will become a common place of data generation.

We made an initial layout for the website so that we will have an idea that how it will look like and how people will interact with it.

The screen shots are there on the next pages.

User Profile

User Avatar

Pin the Location of Autistic Kid Always ON tab

Live Notification

Tiles related to Section

Live Tiles

Chat Window

Home Page layout discription

Login Screen

Sign Up Screen

These are basic layout explaining how the web interface will look like and what format we can take it forward to make a live web interface abongst the users who will be online to it and will make it as their primary mode to network amongst themselves.

Home Screen

Parents Section Screen

Discussion Screen

Conclusion Initially our aim was to understand autism, as we proceded we figured that every autistic kid is different. Any activity useful for one kid may not be useful for the other.

In the initial stages we weren't looking at the larger picture, we were breaking our heads to figure out one activity that can help all autistic kids.

As we proceded with our reasearch, we had discussions with people who were indirectly connected to autistic individuals (like relatives, teachers etc). We slowly started seeing the bigger picture and soon realised that diagnosis, acceptance (by parents) and awareness are the three things to be worked on.

Just like all othere diseases, even for autism earlier diagnosis helps in many ways. After diagnosis the parents have to accept the fact that his kid is autistic and special treatment and education has to be allotted.

In the early stages we were mainly focusing on product level intervention, but after understanding Autism in Indian scenerio we feel that there are lot many factors in the system could have much more influence and impact.

http://www. autismspeaks.com http://www.autism-india.org

+919925249044 morsudhir@gmail.com

MITIN ANAND

About Us

SUDHIR MOR

Web :

+919099480756 mitin.a@nid.edu

http://www.cdc.gov www.sudhirmor.com

http://www.thinking.net

www.mitin.com

http://www.autismgames.org http://www.wikipedia.org/

We are PG 2010 Product Design student of National Institute of Design, Paldi Ahmedabad.

For any querry or product design related services, you can contact us any time on the above given contacts.

Books : Teaching Children with Autism by Kathleen Ann Quill Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows

Bibilography

Thank You