Identifying and nurturing talent in your child

Like many other parents of children on the spectrum, it was always a question for me to figure out ways, to help my son in the various aspects of life. The only thing that I was sure of, was that this would take its own time and would need patience and perseverance on my part as a mother. I had to go through my own trials and tribulations to bring my son to a level where he could become happy and confident in his abilities.

The journey
Aditya was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old and studying in a class with 45 other students.  Based on our therapist’s advice, we moved him to a Montessori school to ensure more individualized attention.

As an IT professional working full time with a reputed IT company, in Bangalore, I took the decision to quit my job and invest my time and energy in developing my son’s core skills and abilities. After running from pillar to post in the search of the right intervention center and trying out various schools and intervention centers, I finally found an inclusive school ‘Insight Academy’. The principal, Mrs. May Ruth Dsouza, wholeheartedly accepted him and encouraged me to nurture his talents. She encouraged Aditya and gave various opportunities to showcase his talent, she guided us with different strategies and methods of learning. At the academy, Aditya was a part of a group intervention program that centered on simulating school learning that encouraged his participation in a social group. Soon we witnessed a growth in his confidence level and abilities.

Nurturing the talent
I realized that Aditya had an inclination for music and art. At 4.5 years, I heard him singing the National Anthem flawlessly. I started exposing him to more music and with the help of his school teachers and through continuous conversations with them, Aditya started getting understood by his teachers as well as his classmates and started enjoying school and participating in various activities, most of which revolved around art and music. To channelize his potential further, I enrolled Aditya for formal music lessons at the Malancha institute of performing arts.

When Aditya was 12, his art teacher in school noticed his talent in painting. Aditya started experimenting with more colors. He also has a great liking for nature and most of his paintings are based on this theme. He went on to train with Mrs. Beena Shankar, a fine-arts and international design artist.

Juggling between academics, therapy, remedial sessions and music, and art classes was not easy as every teacher had a different way of working with Aditya. I had to play the role of a key anchor to ensure synchrony between all the different aspects of learning.

A budding artist
At present, Aditya is 16 and studying I. Grade 10. Aditya has won various prizes in school and interschool competitions. He has cleared his junior diploma and a senior diploma in Rabindra Sangeet and has appeared for graduation year from Rabindra Bharati University. He is continuing his music training with his mentor, Mrs. Debjani ( Mala) Roy the founder-director of Malancha.

Recently two of Aditya’s painting was selected by the legendary art maestro  Mr. Wasim Kapoor and was exhibited among other eminent artists at the exhibition ‘’The art festival’’ organized by Inclusion Infinite Foundation (IIF) at the Gallery Gold, Kolkata. Both of his paintings were hugely appreciated by many art critics and painters and were the first ones to be sold.

I believe that recognizing and nurturing talent in our children is an important aspect of their growth, personality, and confidence. I am happy and proud to be a mother to this wonderfully gifted child, who despite the odds has bloomed into a confident young man.