Scientists- autism?

People ask me what I do and my answer is "autism studies" and they have a blank look on their faces. The next question makes me gape at them open-mouthed when they ask me- "Is it related to automotive engineering?" After regaining composure I say "No! It's related to psychology, it's a developmental disability." So, here it is - Autism and Asperger syndrome are developmental disabilities characterised by a lack of social skills. Asperger syndrome is characterised by good language skills but they don't understand how to use it. Both, people with autism and AS have a lack of social skills. These disorders cannot be treated by medication or any method but many of their behaviours can be modified to make them cope really well with the demands of the society. Nearly 50% of all people with autism have an intellectual disability too and autism is 4 times more prevalent in boys than girls. What is really alarming is that nearly 1 in 100 children are in the autism spectrum. Some people have savant skills i.e., they are highly skilled in a few areas (Dustin Hoffman in Rain man) but these form only a minority of the autism population. Some people are really skilled at drawing and painting mainly because of their photographic memory, they can reproduce a particular scene after seeing it only once on paper. They are also skilled at following directions and some may even memorise the whole tube map of London.
Coming to the causes, autism may definitely have a genetic link. High intelligence may also be a factor that may be related to autism. The causes of autism is still a field undergoing enormous amount of research.
People with autism have sensory issues, repetitive language skills, activities and obsessional interests in a few areas. They may be overly sensitive to some sounds but may not even twitch if there is loud clang of a falling saucepan. They may like to do the same things over and over again like rolling a ball against a wall for hours on end. People with AS and autism are particularly interested in machines, maybe because all machines work with a definite pattern and are repetitive. They may speak to you about the things they like and ignore you completely if you change the topic (anyone among your friends?). They may also not like any physical contact and may resist your handshake.
This love for a pattern and routine may be the link though which we can approach a person with autism and make a difference to their lives. Having a pictorial time-table with a set routine of activities can be an effective means for intervention. The trick is to introduce change by the principle of little and more i.e., introduce change in small amounts at frequent intervals. Preparing them for this change depends on the individual - it may take a week, a month or more.
We need to provide more predictable and routine environments for people with autism.
Many scientists like Einstein and Leonardo DaVinci may have been autistic maybe because of their obsessional interests and high intelligence. The inventions we use today may never have existed if not for these wonderful people!

Kannadagiri?

Just read a recent news article about a woman's experience travelling by bus in Bangalore. She is a north-Indian and speaks a few random words of Kannada-the local language. She witnessed a girl being abused on the bus because she didn't speak in Kannada. Some of the readers' responses to the article was interesting. Some of the north-Indians were very upset, Bangaloreans were neutral and the Tamilians seemed angry too and stressed the importance of learning the local language.
Personally, I believe learning the local language is an added advantage when you move to a new state or a new city as adjusting to a different way of life becomes so much more easier. Even if I moved to Tamil Nadu I would learn Tamil. When I moved to Uttar Pradesh I had to learn Hindi and I had no option and there's no shame in learning a new language as some people believe their language is far superior.
From what I see in Bangalore, the population of Kannadigas is reducing. According to recent reports, the locals consist of less than 40% of the total population. This can be attributed to the burgeoning software industry attracting people from all over the country. There are positives and negatives to this. The good thing is that Bangalore has become more multi-cultural, giving us a greater exposure of how people in other states live. The downside is that our own cultures and traditions get diluted and the first thing which suffers is the local language.
This may sound very South-Indian but I feel North-Indians don't give a shit about cultural differences. The people I have met seem arrogant and insist on speaking only in Hindi, I really don't have any problem with Hindi but when I am in Bangalore I would like to speak in Kannada. I have heard a few people mocking the local language and that really doesn't hurt us but really brings down our opinion about north-Indians. The old foot-in the mouth?
Some locals may not take this lightly and react and turn abusive. The best defense against this would be to just learn the local language which brings only advantages. Righto?
I have a greater respect for Tamilians who speak only Tamil in their state. That's a very good attitude and makes others learn the local language. This helps in preserving the local language and anyway most of us already know Hindi and English.
India is unique with 18 recognized languages and more than a 1000 dialects- why can't we be proud and preserve it?

Do we really care for the disabled?

The word 'normal'- How do we define it? Normal is culture specific, or rather person-specific. My normal and your normal may be totally different. I can go on about normal and stuff related to it for a year- so I'll stop here. I thank the creator for giving me eyes (though slightly defective- God- I have to talk to you about the spectacles.) Do you guys wonder what is inside it? I do know the usual- cornea, retina, rods and cones but still, what is that thing which makes you see everything around you and not bump into a tree? I try to look into the mirror, stare deep into my eyes hoping for an answer. Ah well, I see nothing. I'm really happy because I can experience the beauty around me. The greenery, a seed, a leaf, a beautiful car, a lovely stone building. We take everything for granted. Just spend a moment and think how it would be to be blind, deaf, confined to a wheelchair. Don't you think you are 'gifted'?

Having everything we can help others who are less fortunate or are we so selfish? A blind man trying to cross the road, he has a stick and he's fumbling and I see a gentleman approach him and gets him to the other side. I'm happy to look at this noble act. But, do any of us especially the ones driving, do we stop and let the person cross the road? No way! We just want to drive on "hey man! I have a Merc! Let the other guy wait till his atrophied, why should I stop?" I find this sort of thinking really scary and dangerous. I wish, at least for one day some of these fools go blind.

Now, senior citizens. They are already anxious with all the noise of the traffic and the honking, why do we want to punish them with more honking? Can't we spare 20 secs. from our 'really busy' lives to let them cross the road? And how can we always be busy? Need to meet a friend urgently? Need to see your girl-friend? Can't wait to remove your trousers? This applies to all those people who honk behind me when I stop to let pedestrians cross the road. I'm not preaching here- it's just manners.

I worked in a special school in Bangalore for 1 year and it was an eye-opener for me. I really enjoyed it and I felt I HAD to help children who are less fortunate than me. Taking them to the playground was a good experience in seeing people's reaction towards these children. There are some people who usual honk if we cross the road and the other people just stare as if these kids were aliens. I would like a bit of sensitivity, yes, not much because I feel I'm already asking for too much! How would it feel if someone stared at you like you were the special exhibit in a zoo?

Sorry for boring you guys but I had to say this! Think.

Life in the UK

It's been 21 days since I came to the UK. Canterbury is a lovely town very close to where I live, The University of Kent. I was pretty anxious when I came here on the first day. I have travelled before to Malaysia but still a new country is still like stepping into a muddy, watery pothole on the roads of Bangalore. It was a good experience though. I landed in London and it was freezing outside. Immigration was a smooth affair though waiting for your turn is akin to being in a coma. The officer didn't ask for any document except for my passport. I had taken great pains to get my other documents like X-ray and blah blah- Oh the disappointment! Getting my suitcases was a pain. Packing in 50kgs just because I had extra allowance was a big mistake. Maneuvering the buggered things was like driving an SUV through a slum.
I was waiting in the terminal for my Uni coach and a girl appeared and looked at my suitcases very closely. I gave her an inquiring look and was prepared to fight if she took them away but she didn't say anything and sat next to me. Ya, I am magnetic. Well then we started talking. Someone had taken away her suitcase which looked exactly like mine- same colour and same make. I sympathised with her and hoped this would never happen to me. I promised myself I would make my suitcase look as ugly as possible- stick lots of paper and ribbons on it.
I reached Kent and took my room and arranged my stuff and then the home-sickness hit. Ya, I am that type! I immediately found something to do- that's the best remedy to counter loneliness. I finished my registration well in time and got my card which allowed access to the library which now is an extension of my bedroom. I started reading which gives a lot of pleasure and one can never get tired of them. I read Rosy is my relative by Gerald Durrell and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I finished reading Stephen King's Apt Pupil too which sent shivers down the spine.
Classes began the next week and now I'm all happy because I have a long reading list and don't have the time to think of home. I suddenly realise I started writing this piece to highlight what? Oh heck. Fine.

Politics!!

Here i was on a lazy friday morning digging my nose and scratching my butt and suddenly my friend calls me up and asks me "Whom are you voting for"?? I casually remarked, "maybe the congress..." Suddenly my mental processes came to a grinding halt when he shrieked from the other end, "are you crazy?? The congress is pro-Muslim! Vote for the BJP!" I asked "Why?" and then he went on to enlighten me about what happened in Godhra and such like incidents and i reminded him about the Hitler-ish deeds of Narendra Modi in Gujarat. The cross fire went on for about half an hour and i wouldn't like to tell you the outcome of this argument.
What really bothered me was that even after more than 50 years of Independence and the gory incidents which took place prior to it, Mahatma Gandhi and other fighters who advocated harmony and tolerance and after years of education we still discriminate people on the basis of their religion and caste. That's SAD!
The political situation in the state has become such that a Hindu will vote only for another Hindu, a Muslim will vote for a Muslim and even people of a sub-sub-caste will vote for the same.
I had been to a seminar just before the elections where the representatives of various parties had come to answer questions based on what they would do for the state. I was really surprised when a candidate came forward with the idea that he would sanction water pumps to farmers to give an impetus to agriculture. The main problem in the state is that villages don't even have electricity and even water is scarce. Great ideas!
I feel a Government should focus on improving or in this case, building the foundation of the economy and the society. Begin with water conservation, harnessing renewable sources of energy and subsidizing it.

Dunnit!

I know its been months since i wrote the last blog. I had been busy, really!!! Oh damn! I'm just fooling myself. No, actually i was just plain bored. A thousand apologies!!
Ok, now getting back with reference to the title, i just got done with my first year exams. I'm always really happy when i finish my exams because its my next step towards something better. I like to go to the exams too. (weird, uh??) That's because during exams there are no classes to attend and i hate to sit in class for an hour and pretend to listen to the teacher and also in an exam the allotted time of 3 hours passes so quickly that i'm always shit scared whether i'll not be able to finish my paper.
My end year exams are always in the afternoon when i'm always sleepy and as always, even the invigilators are sleepy. I feel so sorry for them coz it is a boring job to watch us write our papers and sometimes i've seen them go cross-eyed with sleep. Sad, indeed!
The worst thing that can happen to me is when i finish the paper before time and i pretend to scan through my answer paper again and again and when i'm done with that, i look around and suddenly the invigilator tells me to 'look front'. What the Heck?? What im i supposed to do? You won't even let me go out of the room!!!
Let me go!!!! Please!!!!

The Question of Language

I'm doing my degree in this self-proclaimed western college in Bangalore. I have noticed many of my classmates who speak only in English and that's even if you speak to them in any other language. I find it pretty weird because when your in a particular state, you should speak the native language. I even know that English is also important because it opens up a lot of doors, but that doesn't mean you should ignore your own language. I have seen most people who are ashamed to speak in Kannada!
Is it just a show-off that you are an American or Brit? Or is it just cool?
Actually, the more languages you learn and use, the more is your intellect. This is because the learning of a new language involves a lot of skill and uses a lot of your mental capacity.
I went to Agra, UP, when i was 8 or 9 yrs old. I knew only 2 languages, i.e. Kannada and English. When i joined school i was frustrated because, there even in an english-medium school, all the teaching would be done in Hindi which was new to me. It was very tough in understanding the lessons,etc. Eventually, with everyday interaction with the locals and the neighbors i picked up the language pretty fast and as an extra, i even learnt a few not-so-good words too.
I feel learning languages is an added advantage in our lives. You may meet many people in life who don't understand English, but may know Hindi. It becomes easier to converse with them.