CHENNAI: While echoes of laughter and splashes of water filled the space, a teenage boy seated beside his peers was seen immersed in thoughts deeper than the pool. It is his first day at the swimming class. For his entire initial week here, he chose to remain seated near the pool, legs dipped in water. Nobody, not even the coach, forced him to jump in just like that. Instead, they wanted the boy to take his little time and make the first move all by himself.
This is a common sight at Yadhavi Sports Academy for Special Children in Chennai founded by Sathish Sivakumar, an internationally certified swimming coach who has won laurels for training people with disabilities.
Recently, 14 autistic children trained at the academy bagged a record by taking part in a 165-km open-water sea swimming relay – from Cuddalore Silver Beach to Chennai Marina Beach – over a span of four days. This extraordinary expedition was organised for advocating inclusion of autistic youth in the field of sports, thereby challenging stereotypes of the autism spectrum. In the event, held from February 1 to 4, the participants covered 89.09 nautical miles in 43 hours and 55 minutes.
This was an overwhelming experience not just for the kids but for their parents as well. Each of them are brimming with pride and joy.
R Marimuthu (49) and T Vidhya (42), parents of M Srinithin, a 14-year-old who contributed to this remarkable feat, said that many autistic children possess an inherent enthusiasm for swimming, in fact, any such sport activity. The couple added that organising such events are significant to raise awareness about autism.
Recalling his son’s journey, Marimuthu says, “Noting some peculiarities in our son’s activities, we sought guidance from a psychiatrist when he was 18 months old. This early intervention, we feel, has helped to effectively support his intellectual growth.”
But Marimuthu accepts that it took them some time to accept their son’s condition. “Our humble request to parents of autistic children is not to hesitate to take them out and expose them to different environments. This helps them understand things better – about who they are, what they are capable of, and what their interests are,” Marimuthu shares.
Ramalakshmi Chandrasekar (42), parent of another participant C Ganesh (14) explained the struggle to find institutes or coaches even after understanding kids’ interests. “But this is no reason to not let them out and explore what they love. Some parents know little about managing their child(ren) with autism and choose to provide no exposure. This is not only wrong but a grave injustice to the kids.”
She added that children with autism are more energetic, making it crucial to engage them in sports activities. “But we see a lack of coaches for various sports, including badminton, cricket, football, and basketball,” says Ramalakshmi and opines that a government initiative is essential to solve this issue. Sports infrastructure and coaches must be made accessible to autistic kids, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, she says.
Semmalar Rajinikanth, parent of Siddharth (14) who completed the relay, says that healthy family relationships and involvement in any sports or arts activity will improve the lives of kids with autism.
The organisers of the event said that they have been receiving countless messages of appreciation and support from autistic individuals, their friends, family and well-wishers, following the open sea relay.
The academy is planning to conduct more such events which will not only help to improve the interactions of kids with autism but will also shatter the stereotypes surrounding their capabilities.
The parents did not forget to mark their kids’ achievement in swimming as an answer to those who say children with autism cannot lead a ‘normal’ life. Well, their triumph is clearly not normal, and the kids are nothing short of extraordinary.
(Edited by Anagha R Manoj)