Aadi and Indulekha: A mother-son duo battling all odds

Yesterday, the world celebrated those with special needs. But as a society, we are way behind in acknowledging their needs 
Aadi Narayanan Nair
Aadi Narayanan Nair

KOCHI: 13-year-old Aadi Narayanan Nair always found it hard to keep up with his peers. The differently-abled child is motivated by his mother Indulekha Damodaran, who never lets him fall behind. Every day, she takes the time to find newer ways to help him communicate, study and perform like his friends. Aadi was diagnosed with autism when he was two-and-a-half years old.

Since then, Indulekha has been trying to get the best medicines and therapists for her son, including the services of foreign specialists, which can be very expensive. The family, including her husband Sunil Nair, shifted to Kerala when Aadi was six.

Indulekha resigned from her job to take up a diploma in special education (autism) accredited by the Rehabilitation Council of India. Aadi struggles to speak and Indu introduced him to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). He learned to write on paper first, then on his mother’s palm using his right-hand index finger, and now he types on computers and iPad.

Aadi has an intolerance to many food items. When his mother won’t let him have something he is craving for, he shows his disapproval by writing on her palm. “He learnt Malayalam very fast and now he can type in both Malayalam and English. He used to write poems in English and Malayalam. He was awarded the best budding poet at Kriti Book Fair in 2018,” said Indu.

Schooling, treatment difficult

Aadi is now a student of Government Upper Primary School, Padamughal. Indu sits in his classroom in the back row as a shadow teacher. Aadi is able to follow images more than words and numbers, so she uses pictographic books now to teach him, without affecting the attention of his classmates. 

“My intention is not to make him a topper or help score maximum marks. I want him to experience all the stages of learning. So, I sit with him in the back row and help him write his examinations at school,” says Indulekha. She feels there is a wide gap in our social and educational systems when it comes to understanding the needs of differently-abled students. “There are good schools around, but they are very expensive for the ordinary people. The public education system hardly has institutions that help promote normal education for special kids,” she said.

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