From The Authors

A Trusted Friend From Birth I KNOW THIS PERSON FROM MANY LIVES AGO.MY MOM CALLS HER A SNOWFLAKE SOMETIMES. SHE LOVED ME EVEN WHEN OTHER KIDS HATED ME.SHE DRESSES UP IN FUNNY CLOTHES TO MAKE ME LAUGH

18 FIGHTS PER HOUR SCHOOL YEAR FEAR MY DEAR, SAYS THE BODY.SCHOOL YEAR IS FOR ME TO STEER, SAYS THE MIND.OH, OOPS! THE HIGH-PITCHED VOICES AND NEW FACES, SAYS THEBODY.OH, GET GOING, SILLY, SAYS THE MIND.BEND, CURL

FINDING JOY IS POSSIBLE Remove the shackles Put the past behind Take life less seriously Leap for the moon Dance in the rain Paint the rainbow Join the bird chorus Laugh your gut out Follow inspiring people

Songs for Scars As I got ready to get on my flight, My right cheek hurt from the fresh dog biteThe pain was excruciating, and I didn’t feel strongAnd this journey felt way too hard and long As I

LOST AND FOUND AT THE MUSEUM I felt lost when we floated into outer space. Aero planes, too, fear going there.  I found myself when I heard that there could be life beyond Earth. I wonder if

Safe Place As a child, I hoped for a safer new year, But pain stayed, always near. Growing up, I created a safe haven in my mind, Yet outside, safety was hard to find. The shouts, the

READING Reading is a relatively new found love. Just to clarify right up front, my typical reading is through audio books primarily or my parents/loved ones reading to me. The act of turning pages slowly is not

The Giraffe When I look at this giraffe I made, The detail in every spot and shade.  Imperfect shapes and spots The bright colors and the little dots  They are like my strengths, quirks and every part, I love my uniqueness with

RESILIENCE Resilience in nonspeakers is likely taken for granted. Given the odds stacked against us most times, resilience is almost a necessary survival skill. Point not lost when life feels like a perennial comeback story. Every setback,

Strings, Sticks, and Reflections Have you ever felt upset with yourself for being too distracted? Glory to the objects around me; I am invited to be distracted every other minute. Wonder who invites me? There are so

Choicest Lives The choice is a privilege Its power is a leap Most long for it Few experience it Poorer are lives Full of potential but Constrained by choices The chosen ones that Have no real choices

WHO ARE WE? We are not impaired, but improvised We are not ominous, but synonymous We are not grave, but gravitas We are not a farce, but a force We are not unidimensional, but undimensional We are

Oxford Oxford was truly magnificent. I had not visited college campuses or university towns before so I was not sure what to expect. I have to assume now that it would have exceeded even my wildest expectations.

London Trip London is magical. Life is about balancing the old and the new and striking the happy medium there. It seems to be the way of life there. The history seems to be getting more and

My Song Loops My music interest is generally varied in terms of the types of music I seek. I have been exposed to diverse genres of music and my life has been enriched by amazing musicians from

Places and Me I feel walls breathe. I feel like doors smile. I love windows with curtains because they are naughty and play with me and the wind all the time. The houses I have lived in

Nothing But a Miracle To me it is easy to answer the question  “Is there anything called a miracle?” Life of a living being is a miracle Love in unconditional forms is a miracle Pinnacle of unified

Initiation Challenges Initiation of an activity is hard for those like me. Like a faulty remote control that stops working when you want to watch something widely anticipated, our body’s control system stops working at inopportune times.

A NONSPEAKER’S QUEST I just finished reading this book “Happiness Falls”. The central character is a nonspeaker and I enjoyed reading that a lot. The author, Angie Kim, has done a lot of research and has portrayed

My Recent Love My ears have captured words that strangers use to describe me, sometimes, actually – most of the time. I have heard things like weird guy, crazy guy, what is wrong with him, is he

LIVING WITHOUT FEAR Popular notions of fear make us believe that there is something external that needs to be feared. It could be an act of nature or the method of a human or a force of

BENEFITS OF BEING A NON SPEAKING AUTISTIC Looking at the world in a different way helps in our understanding of the keys to the movement of love. Mind looks at ways to possibilities of love always. Love

BEGINNING Beginnings let new possibilities sing Beginning of a poem invites moments of reflection Beginning of a relationship allows a peek into soul of existence Beginning of life nurtures a mother’s date with destiny Beginning of a

Friendship I once thought I can never be a friend until my mommy told me that I make a great friend toher.I recall that moment – the place was Virginia, it was bedtime, the hotel room was

MUSIC LEARNING A common stereotype of my tribe is that many of us are music wizards and can somehow magically pick up a musical instrument and play. I can attest from learning piano for many years that

Questions I have By Hasan Ahmed I WONDER… I wonder if butterflies know that they are colorful. I wonder if there are many Hasans in many worlds.  I wonder if birds and animals can use the letterboard

Why is Honesty with Self so Challenging? In our contemporary world, the task of being truthful with oneself has evolved into an intricate challenge shaped by a myriad of societal, technological, and psychological dynamics. As individuals navigate

Grateful Heart My reflections on gratitude for this time of the year.   Grateful for every act of love  That touches my heart Grateful for every minute spent Listening to my unspoken words Grateful for every piece

Organizing Doesn’t Have to be an Ordeal How I’m transforming routines and planning devices from shame trigger to support People with ADHD and other kinds of executive dysfunction struggle to manage our time, space, and tasks. To

IMAGINE Swap your body with mine. Funnily, it is probably different from what you are thinking. This is a happy view; I am sure you will enjoy the swap for a while. Speaking of my body, let

Conquering My Fears My mind prepares me for lots of challenges. I keep visualizing what i would do in certain situations and that lets me handle those better when they come One of those challenges I have

NEURODIVERGENT YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD (Swarit won the Neurodivergent 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 award in London on September 28 2023, for overcoming extreme odds to create a meaningful difference.𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 are the largest awards in the

Welcome to my world A window in a palace of thoughts  Prompted by his parent’s question, “Tell us about your world”, Hasan, an 8-year-old minimally speaking child on the autism spectrum, reveals his answer in the form

JOYS and CHALLENGES OF MOVEMENT I love movement in general. Not in the traditional sense but in a relative sense of the term. For example, moving my hands in front of my eyes is considered as movement

AMBEDKAR The life of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar (a prominent Indian leader, jurist, economist, and social reformer) was a pursuit of social justice. He has instilled a sense of hope in me for our tribe’s injustice that changes are

BEING IN THE MOMENT There is nothing like painting for being in the moment. Here is a take on being present with painting as a metaphor.   Painting for a Twist   Today I imagine colors of

Life in a Multigenerational Household Life in a multigenerational household is so fascinating to experience. There is always an element of intrigue to the different interactions as long as learning about the family is the goal. Different

I have a HUGE Problem with DEI, and I’ll Tell You Why I won’t waste your time explaining what DEI is to you. If you’re here, you have some awareness  of what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is

FOOD TROUBLES My love for food is a blessing and a curse. I love all types of food that are meant for the soul. The love is how my palate morphs into a palette of colors and

To Accept Neurodivergence, Cultivate Compassion for Yourself and Others Disability acceptance means being kind, letting go of shame and accepting imperfection Most neurodivergent adults I’ve encountered learned as children to feel shame about their disabilities. Because some

TRAVELLING THE WORLD AS AN AUTISTIC Travel always provides perspective about our limitations and the associated lies we tell ourselves. This is particularly true for those like me that continue to be defined by our limitations. As

Justice Sensitivity in an Unjust World It’s tough and utterly difficult to express your opinions in a place where speaking out is seen as a crime, and justice is either delayed or denied. It’s more than just

Disability Movement in India I had the opportunity to meet Mr. TMN Deepak who is a leading disability rights activist here in Chennai. It was so kind of him to pay me a visit amidst his extremely

Why People With ADHD Write Such Long Posts (and Also Have Trouble Reading Them) Some people with ADHD have difficulty reading long things. They especially dislike long posts about ADHD. I get it. I’ve looked at seemingly

Meltdowns- A Day of Being Misunderstood Another day of feeling misunderstood, of struggling to find my place. The constant stress and exhaustion took its toll. Maybe they couldn’t see it, but I was tired of being misunderstood.

Life in India Life in India is mostly expected to function without many of the privileges that I take for granted in the U.S. The contrast is so stark and striking. From my observations during this trip,

Intersection of my Faith, Culture, Ethnicity, Choice, Body and Neurodivergence “Don’t worry if you’re making waves just by being yourself. The moon does it all the time.” – Scott Stabile I have always been fond of the

Law Enforcement is Failing the Autistic Community Here’s How Kind Theory is Addressing this Huge Overlooked Equity Issue Autistic people in our communities have good reason to fear interacting with law enforcement. People with disabilities, including neurodivergent

Being Autistic in Japan Japan is a lovely place. For a relatively small country geographically, it packs a punch at all levels from the majestic mountains and the bountiful nature to the technological and engineering innovations that

What It’s Like to Have Difficulty Remembering to Remember (Prospective Memory) One of my most frustrating ADHD-related difficulties is failing to “remember to remember.” That ability is called “prospective memory.” When I learn strategies for self-regulating, communicating,