Information about the DSE-ASD 
Prospectus DSE-ASD 
See
our list of DSE-ASD graduates and current
placements
(7 June) AFA Happenings: A brief update of AFA activities from January-April 2010
(30 May) AFA announces three upcoming workshops:
Inclusion in the Mainstream Classroom : 30 and 31 July 2010
Understanding & Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders : 27-30 September 2010
Knowing & Teaching my Child with Autism : 19-21 November 2010
(30 May) Story about AutismCare Nepal and the connection to AFA 
(22 May) AFA Psychologist presents paper at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia
With more than 1700 people in attendance, IMFAR 2010 represented the largest gathering of autism scientists and researchers yet. Dr Nidhi Singhal spoke on the recent data collection associated with the AFA Aap Ki Antara Helpline.
(15 May) The
Autism Network is our journal, published three times a year.
Read the April 2010 issue now! This issue features the following articles:
Alternative Therapies for Autism - an often controversial topic: What do we mean by ‘alternative’ therapy – an alternative to what? The term carries a connotation of novelty, of being outside mainstream science and medicine, and suggests that this mainstream may have failed to serve the people whom we care about. One family member provides his perspective on how to decide whether to try an alternative therapy.
Disability and Census - THE Census 2011 will now be the fifteenth census of India. A sensitive and aware Census Commissioner of India, Dr C Chandramouli, has invited suggestions on the questions and inputs on disability for the instruction manual for enumerators to ensure that disabled people are accurately enumerated in the upcoming Census. Read how autism fits into this picture.
A Look at the CBSE Guidelines to Schools on Inclusive Education - How will the new policy impact your child? Read more in this article.
Helpline - A particular school that specializes in ASD believes in slapping children right across the face and also hitting them on parts of the body. A parent asks, "Do aversives work?"
As always, back
issues of the Autism Network from 1994 onwards are available online at no charge.
(10 April) Times of India article on designer Ritu Beri's fashion show to benefit AFA 
(9 April) Disability leaders attend the Consultation on ‘Disability and Census 2011’
The task at hand was to draft a fresh question on disability and related guidelines for the enumerators’ manual to be incorporated in Census 2011. Read interview from Disability Information News Service.
Meet
the AFA Team
We work hard and love what we do. From the front desk to the bakery to the classrooms to the garden...visit our staff page to see us on our website, and then find a time to visit us in person!
(2 April) World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD): A national success!
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For the third year, WAAD was celebrated throughout India as well as neighboring countries. We received information about events in nearly a dozen cities, and by many more organisations--an incredibly impressive effort by all! If you attended an event this year, let us know how it went and we'll be happy to report on it here. As in years past, we will link to these articles. Send to actionforautism@gmail.com. In India, we like to keep the celebration going! Some events continue through April; this flyer lists events in New Delhi, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehra Dun, Guwahati, Indore, Kolkata, and Mumbai. In addition, WAAD was celebrated in Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
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| Pinning the Autism awareness lapel button on Honorable President Mrs Pratibha Devisingh Patil |
Handing over the Charter of Rights of Individuals with ASD |
Designer Ritu Beri's fashion show in support of AFA |
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| Gathering at India Habitat Center |
Hon Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr Anand Sharma addresses the crowd |
"Different...and proud of it!" |
See more photos of WAAD Delhi Events
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE LIST OF WAAD 2010 EVENTS IN SOUTH ASIA 
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Download full list of AFA events 
Throughout the month of April:
Throughout April Autism Month, Action For Autism and the National Autism Centre will send WAAD greetings to principals of more than 1500 CBSE schools in the national capital region, along with dispatching information on the directive for inclusion from the Chairman of CBSE that states that students with autism should not be evicted from their schools.
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(12 Feb) My Name is Khan . . . What do you think?
You don't need to have heard of Asperger's Syndrome to know about Shah Rukh Khan's latest role, playing a Muslim man with Asperger's Syndrome in post-September 11th United States. In February, Action For Autism organised a group of more than 80 family members, friends, and people with autism to attend a screening of the film in New Delhi. Attending movies and other events in the community is always something we enjoy, and this was a particularly fun event.
If you have Asperger's, or are the friend of family member of someone with Asperger's, what do you think of the film? Let us know what YOU think! Email actionforautism@gmail.com.
(12 Feb) My Name is Guha . . .
When the media came calling, we suggested they talk with adults with Asperger's themselves rather than to us. We're pleased to present an interview with one of our AFA staff members, Mr Achyutanal
Guha from IBN Live.com.
Volunteer For Action for Autism: Information
Packet Available 
Volunteering for a cause in which you believe can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. AFA has had the good fortune to have a long history of wonderful volunteers from India and abroad. Each has found a corner of our organization in which to learn and grow, and we have learned from each. We have an ongoing need for extra hands, open minds, and creative hearts. Contact us to learn more about the wide range of options available to you, even if you don't live in India!
Photos from our Annual Charity Dinner, Hyatt Regency
We look forward to seeing you next year for another evening of fine food and company
AFA
seeking full time research assistants for research and awareness projects in
Delhi
We continue to accept applications from motivated post graduates interested in research
on Autism to join our organisation to work on several autism studies currently underway.
Aap
Ki Antara: What do you think?
At this point, it is hard to find a parent or professional
in the field of autism in India who has not heard about the Zee TV serial,
'Aapki Antara,' which began on June 1st of 2009 and ended in February 2010. What do parents
and professionals think of the show? Watch an episode at online and
email your thoughts to actionforautism@gmail.com. We'll include a sample
of parent and professional reactions from emails and through the helpline
in an upcoming issue of the Autism Network.
View
videos of AFA families aired on Aap Ki Antara (RealPlayer
needed: download here)

Achyutanal
Guha |

Vrinda
and Indu |

Nano
and Indrani |

Ishita
and Reeta |
Autism
Spectrum Disorders: A Guide for Paediatricians in India
has been released as part of the AFA Professional Awareness Campaign.
Pediatricians are often the first point of contact for families of children
with autism in India. AFA is currently in the second phase of a large
awareness project among pediatricians. Over 800 pediatricians have received
the Guide for Pediatricians, posters on recognizing signs of autism
in Hindi and English, and other information about autism. To download
these materials and read more about the project, click
here
Conducting
research at AFA
Autism research in India dates back decades. AFA has conducted, collaborated
with and supported numerous research studies over the past 15 years.
Learn about a sample of these projects and read more information about
research collaborations with AFA here.
AFA
and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India Initiate Inclusive Computer
Learning Centre
Through generous support from Adobe India and Charities Aid
Foundation (CAF) India, AFA has recently developed an inclusive computer
learning centre for children with autism and mainstream school students.
This free computer training course is available for children of all
economic strata and background; children from a nearby school work with
students from AFA. We are grateful to for support in this exciting project!
Funded
by:
Adobe India
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Facilitated
by:
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India
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Implemented
by:
Action For Autism
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Have
you visited our list of international
autism organizations recently?
AFA has been maintaining a list of international autism organizations
on this website since 1995. New countries and organizations are continually
added and updated, and outdated information is removed. We have recently
added new countries to the list!
Diploma
in Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorders) 2009 – 2010
The one year Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) training
programme in Autism began in July. Read
more here
Join
our group on 
Indian
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will now allow accomodations
for students with autism
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) posted a notification
dated 2 January 2009 by Mr MC Sharma, Controller of Examinations, that
informs several amendments/additions that have been made in the CBSE
Examination Bye-laws. Read
more here
AFA receives grant from U.S. advocacy organization Autism Speaks
In collaboration with Creating Connections (Kolkata), AFA will
will translate and adapt the Modified TQ, SCQ, and ADOS into the two
most commonly spoken languages in India: Hindi and Bengali... Read
more here
Recent
legal updates
on autism in India
Teaching
Positions at Action For Autism
Action For Autism invites energetic and enthusiastic individuals
who are creative, logical, intelligent, and willing to work hard, to
apply for various teaching positions at Open Door School. The positions
offer exciting opportunities to therapists and teachers to work with
individuals with autism and communication differences, in what is one
of the most challenging and exciting areas of special needs education.
Read
more here
Recently
completed trainings
Tamil and Bengali Translations of Education of Children and
Young People with Autism
By Rita Jordan, Ph.D.
This manual is intended for parents, teachers, professionals, and community
workers, with the aim of deepening knowledge and understanding of aspects
of Autism in areas such as developing social skills, communication,
encouraging flexibility in thinking and managing behaviour, managing
emotions and developing life and leisure skills and experiences. This
manual also covers organizational aspects, which develop insight about
the development of educational services for children with autism. The
manual is now available in Tamil and Bengali translations.
Tamil
Translation: Autism Ulla Kuznanthaigal Matrum Ilagayarkallukana
Kalvi Murai, Translated by Mrs. Ramamani Sundar. For more information,
click
here 
Bengali Translation: Autistic Shishu O Tarunder
Shikkha, Translated by Prof. Shirshendu Chakrabarti. For more
information, click
here 
Health
Insurance Scheme "Niramaya" extended to the entire country
"In
order to enable and empower persons with disability to live as independently
and as fully as possible, health services and their access to persons
with disabilities assume a very significant role. In this context, the
health insurance facility becomes important but presently such products
are not easily available for persons with disabilities. In such a situation,
a health insurance scheme “Niramaya” is conceived with the
following objectives..." Read
more here
Read
more at the National Trust site
Download an application
Need information about Information on Tax Deductions?
Under the Income Tax Act, 1961, as amended by Finance Act,
2007, there are tax benefits available to families of children with
autism. You must have a certificate of autism in order to qualify for
these benefits. Read
more here
Link of Interest: Indian Aspergers Group
This Yahoo Group is dedicated to Indians with Asperger's or
High Functioning Autism. This forum has been created to unite and inform
parents and caregivers from India or of Indian descent who live in the
USA and have children or a family member with this diagnosis. This is
open to ages 2 to 99! Please share this group with other Indian organizations
and families so that we can share our experiences with each other. You
can remain anonymous if you choose to do so.
Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianAmericansWithAspergers/
A
forum for Aspies in India
Autism and Bollywood
Autism has a long history of representation in Western media,
some of it powerfully good and some which perpetuates stereotypes and
misconceptions. India, too, is beginning to include autism in different
ways into mainstream films. Apna Asmaan, by director Kaushik Roy is
one example of this. And now, My
Name is Khan was released in February. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, the latest
of these Bollywood autism films features a character with Asperger's
Syndrome. The mainstream Indian press has been closely following this
project.
See also:
Autism
in Indian Cinema: Cultural Representations of Disability, by Sudha
Rai, University of Rajasthan
'Film
World to Support Autism,' an article from The Times of India
AFA
Mother Child/Parent Child Programme
Action For Autism's Mother Child Programme is run three times
a year, sessions starting each January, July and October. A group of
approximately 10 to 15 mothers train together (with their children)
throughout the duration of the programme incorporating elements of different
interaction-based interventions. The programme seeks to maximize the
benefits of the time that a mother spends with her child, teaching focused
one on one intervention tailored individually to each child and taking
into account the child's strengths, emerging skills and weakest skill
areas. Read
more here
AsiaPacific
Autism Conference 2009 (APAC 09)
Action for Autism participated in the APAC 09, held at the
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, 20 – 22 August
2009. Merry Barua was a symposium keynote speaker, and gave a paper
on the status of autism in South Asian countries, including Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and India.
Action
for Autism's Charter of Rights of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder have the same rights
and privileges: civic, economic, and political as enjoyed by all citizens
of their country. They have a right to be treated as equal with full
human rights and fundamental freedoms and without discrimination...Read
more here
TELL
US WHAT YOU THINK
What
would you like to see on the AFA website? Email
us and let us know!
Make a Donation
Action for Autism is now accepting donations in 16 currencies
through PayPal, a secure and easy way to send money from outside India.
Our account is actionforautism@gmail.com. For those
who are interested in subscribing to the Autism
Network, or purchasing anything else from AFA, PayPal can also
be used. Anyone can sign up for a PayPal account at http://www.paypal.com.
For more information, visit our page on getting
involved with AFA.
Autism materials
available in Indian languages
We are periodically asked for information in Hindi, Tamil,
Bengali, and other Indian languages. AFA has received funds to translate
other materials, and we will provide information when these are available.
The National Autistic Society (of the U.K.) has published some materials
in Indian languages, free of charge. Others are available for a cost.
Links to these resources are available here.
For additional materials in Hindi, please see PDF versions of the Autism
Network, which contain articles in Hindi.
AFA
and Heartspring Collaboration
AFA's Open Door and Heartspring, a worldwide center for children
with special needs with its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas (US) have
a formal relationship as "sister schools." This offers the
opportunity for AFA staff to engage in both cultural and informational
exchanges with the Heartspring staff. In July 2007, Merry Barua was
named a winner of the Heartspring
Award for Innovation and Creativity in Special Education and attended
the summer conference in Wichita, Kansas. In November 2007, Heartspring
staff visited AFA and we introduced them to the work we do. Most recently,
in October 2008 two of our staff, Preeti Siwach & Jayati Ghosh,
were invited to Heartspring. We have greatly enjoyed this true exchange
of experiences and expertise!
Read
about the Heartspring/AFA
sister school relationship on the Heartspring site
Preeti Siwach & Jayati Ghosh share
their experiences at Heartspring, October 2008
From a blog
by Chris about the Heartspring visit to AFA, November 2007
"More
than once I would wander down the hallway and peek inside a classroom,
only to see the last thing I expected - the only thing I should
have expected - I saw what I see when I walk down the corridors
of Heartspring. Teachers are working with children, one on one,
doing solid ABA (such as new skill acquisition programs), managing
behaviors, generating data for the outcomes of an individualized
education for a child with special needs. I am here in a culture
so different, a context so different from the one I am used to,
but I feel at home inside the big red doors, because so much of
what I am feeling is the same feeling as being at Heartspring. It’s
about reaching that child, at all costs, with everything you’ve
got; it’s about lighting up a child’s world, and setting
their communication and imagination ablaze with organized thoughts
they can manage and return. It’s about illuminating the interaction
in that very special way only a teacher can know. It’s about
turning the lights on." Read
more here
AACTION
Autism
Another organization with whom we have a partnership is AACTION Autism, which stands for Action Awareness
Campaign Through International Organizations Networking. Aaction Autism
is based in Chicago, IL, and shares our commitment to serving families
of children with autism and partnerships between organizations. In January 2008, six volunteers from the organization worked with staff
from AFA to provide information and training. Learn more about this
organization at the AACTION
Autism site. In December 2009, we were delighted to welcome back a team for another wonderful training.
Spreading
Reach in a Low-Resourced Environment
Read a perpetually relevant paper that describes the challenges
of autism in developing countries from the 2006 AWARES conference.
The "Other" Action for Autism: Mike
Stanton’s Blog shares our name
Index
of original
articles by AFA plus parent stories
Action
for Autism
Pocket 7 & 8
Jasola Vihar
New Delhi-110025
INDIA
Tel:
+91-11-65347422, 40540991/2
Fax: +91-11-40540994
Email: actionforautism@gmail.com
Directions to our centre  |
Action
for Autism is a member of Credibility Alliance. Credibility
Alliance is a consortium of voluntary organizations committed
towards enhancing accountability and transparency in the voluntary
sector through good governance. As an organisation CA aspires
to build trust among all stakeholders through improving governance
with in the voluntary sector. Credibility Alliance is akin to
a professional body that will set norms or standards of governance.
The members participate in the process of evolving suitable
guidelines based on voluntary disclosure of information and
adhere to them. This shall promote the ideals of accountability
and transparency within the voluntary sector.
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About
this site:
As with many aspects of our organization, this site is
designed, maintained and operated by volunteers. We are a non-profit
organization and rely on friends of AFA to update and provide suggestions
for the site. We also have tried to minimize the graphics and pictures
to allow for faster uploading, since many families who access our site
do not have high speed connections. We welcome your comments about the
site, and if you experience problems, please contact us so we can improve
our site and services. Thank you for visiting!
Site
last updated on 4 September 2010