Month: February 2015

Categories
Autism

When less is more and more is less

It took a child on the Autism spectrum to explain life’s true meaning, help evaluate my close association with autism.
Kamini Lakhaniby Kamini Lakhani | saiconnections01@gmail.com

Part 5 of the Autism Diaries – When a 9-year-old explains life to you.

A few years ago, I was working with this student who was around 9 years old at that time. We had spent a wonderful hour together and I had managed to test out some very important hypotheses with him. In that relaxed state of mind, I mumbled, mostly to myself, “You know, in your case, less is more.” I glanced over at him and asked, “Do you know what that means?” not expecting an answer. He answered, “Yes, less is more, and sometimes more is less.” I almost jumped out of my skin! A simple truth, but spoken so sincerely and almost philosophically! Needless to say, I will never forget this statement or the wisdom that it was spoken with.

Since then, I’ve applied the ‘less is more’ philosophy to many aspects of my life. So, recently, Bill Nason (Author of ‘The Autism Discussion Page’) put up a very interesting question on Facebook. He addressed ‘veteran’ parents (with older kids/adults on the Autism Spectrum) about what they would like to share with parents with newly diagnosed kids. There were interesting recommendations, all spoken through experience, and hence all valid.

I did not answer immediately, as I had a hundred thoughts running through my mind. If I had a chance to redo my innings with autism- what would my top 3 recommendations be? What would I do differently?

1. I would take more care of myself when the diagnosis came in. 

The diagnosis of autism is a deadly one. It takes so much from a parent, who, at that point of time, is devastated. I remember crying myself to sleep and waking up crying. This went on for a few days…till there were no tears left. Yet, in that frame of mind, one only wants to help the child and do whatever it takes to somehow ‘throw this diagnosis off’.

I recommend that all parents book themselves for a few sessions with a counsellor or a Mental Health Professional. Work on yourself, strengthen yourself first. You don’t need the guilt. Hand holding is required through one’s own grief too.

And then, get ready for the marathon.

2. Make sure you continue to spend quality time with your other children, too.

If there is one thing that I would definitely redo, it would be spending more time with my daughter. Sometimes, I feel I was so overwhelmed with Mohit’s diagnosis, that I was not a 100 per cent A child on the autism spectrumpresent with my daughter, Tanya. To date, she says that I love Mohit more. Much as I try to explain that I don’t love him more, that he needs me more, it doesn’t quite sink in.

Parents who are working with the RDI (Relationship Development) Programme under the guidance of a consultant are far luckier. The consultant is trained to look at their daily schedules and make valid suggestions with regards to spending time with their other children and leading a more balanced life.

3. Be selective with therapies. 

One size does NOT fit all. Don’t jump on to the band wagon of speech, special ed, OT etc. These are all helpful therapies, but they are more useful with better understanding of your child and what he or she really needs. Take help from an expert who will help you understand Autism better, somebody who will take an objective look at your situation and make the right and useful recommendations. A customised programme is required, not a trial and error program.

There are several permutations and combinations that will apply to your child. There are the Core Deficits and then there are the Co-occurring Conditions. The co occurring conditions are different for every child on the Spectrum, hence you may see this diversity in people on the Spectrum. (See rdiconnect.com for more information)

I was not aware of this at that time and hence I tried everything that the Western World had to offer. Definitely, I could have been more selective. I should have studied more and tried less.

This is where I feel the ‘less is more’ concept really works!

Here is something that really resonates with me-

“Parents have therapists come in their home and tell them what to do.

They give their power away.

Parents need to focus on healing and empowering themselves. They must shift their beliefs  about autism. Once the parent knows who they are….the child will respond.”

– Lori Sheyew

Do you know who you are?

And what resonates with you?

Less is more… or more is less?

At SAI Connections, we follow the RDI technique, which not only helps children on autism spectrum but their parents as well. Feel free to send questions on your mind to saiconnections01@gmail.com and I will be glad to help.

Kamini Lakhani is the founder of SAI Connections. She is a Behaviour Analyst, an RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) Consultant, Supervisor and Trainer responsible for RDI professional training in India and the Middle East. She is the mother of an adult on the Autism Spectrum. She is also a member of Forum for Autism.

Next: The one thing that makes you stronger with time…and it’s not experience.

(Pictures courtesy www.fwdlife.in, www.dnaindia.com. Images are used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Learn

FDA Maharashtra tightens noose around ‘unsafe’ food practices

Recent event on role of regulators in food products industry had the State FDA explain new initiatives in the sector.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Too often, we complain that ‘the Government’ takes no interest to safeguard the food sold across the city and State. Where is the focus on public health and safety, we ask. However, there are several enforcements and rules in place already, but most people are not aware of the same.

“Food Safety Standards Act 2006 has undergone a change since its enforcement on August 5, 2011 with a shift from ‘adulteration’ to ‘safety’. The Act has an educative approach with friendly legislation. It has a penalty system for contamination and substandard foods. Unsafe foods would face prosecution. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra has 7.7 lakh licenses issued, which is the highest in India at 36 per cent. This was possible since FDA Maharashtra organised different camps to bring about awareness of the Act,” explained Suresh Annapure, Joint Commissioner, Food, Greater Mumbai Division, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra. He was speaking during an interactive session on ‘Innovative Food Products in India – Regulators Role’ organised by MVIRDC World Trade Centre and the All India Association of Industries.

“The first online pilot project was held in Mumbai and Thane offices. On April 15, 2014, [the target of] 100 per cent licenses was achieved,” Annapure said. He added that the procedure for issuing licenses was now available online, providing transparent and time bound activities. On a futuristic note, he said that he was looking forward to working with industries especially with the ‘Make in India’ campaign, in order that consumers get wholesome food, thereby making the people of India healthy.

Added Dr Joseph Lewis, Chairman, Regulatory Affairs Committee, Protein Foods and Nutrition Development Association of India (PFNDAI), “Food regulations are about balancing food diversity with safety practices. India is abundantly blessed with 52 per cent cultivable land (11 per cent world average) with 46 to 60 different soil types and 15 major climates all conducive to producing a variety of agricultural commodities. However, innovation provided the challenge from converting the agricultural commodities to processed foods. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 provided a mere framework for combating adulteration while Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 widened the scope of the law to include a risk framework.” He added that a “harmonisation in the processes of standardisation, adulteration and innovation” was needed. “There must be freedom to innovate while adhering to safety measures. The Indian law does not take into consideration safety of the foods when adulteration is assessed. Propriety foods are not a category of food by itself but represents an enabling ‘provision’ in food law.” Innovating with safety is a provision made in FSSA 2006.

Dr Laxmi Ananthanarayan, Associate professor, Department of Food Engineering and Technology (DFET), Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) spoke on ‘Ensuring Food Safety and Quality through Advanced Technology’. She said that food needed to be standardised, safe for consumption, acceptable from sensory view point and nutritious. Markets for food are now global giving ample scope for contamination with the arrival of genetically modified foods. This gives rise to good manufacturing practices. “Quality of food is not always visible and so food quality and food safety are interdependent. FSSA law should provide specification on consumer protection. There should be production specification and scope for value-addition with changing lifestyle and access to variety of food,” she said, adding that adapting to emerging and advanced technologies was the solution.

(Featured image courtesy www.city-discovery.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Hum log

Studying the humans of Bombay

The ‘Humans of Bombay’ Facebook page started a year ago, to roaring success – turns out, everyone loves to hear Mumbai’s stories.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

This is one of the more interesting pages on social media currently, presenting micro-stories of people in Mumbai. Styled on the lines of the famous ‘Humans of New York’ page, the ‘Humans of Bombay’ page currently has 1,80,868 likes and is gaining popularity with each passing day.

Karishma MehtaThe page was conceived by Karishma Mehta (22), a Mumbai resident. Today, she says that what started off as an experiment in capturing visual stories “slowly became a part of her routine” where she continues to soar higher with each passing stranger’s tale.

With her team of photographers and a few social media interns, Karishma traverses Mumbai – she calls it Bombay – be it the town area or the suburbs. She recommends Maldives to her fellow travelers and believes all kinds of people stay everywhere.

In a chat with The Metrognome, the creative young person talks about her inspirations, how writing will always be her long-term activity, and what drives her to work on the ‘Humans of Bombay’ (HOB) page. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Bombay and went to school till the 10th grade at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim. For my 11th and 12th  grades, I studied at The International School Bangalore (TISB). Three years later, I graduated as an Economics Major from the University of Nottingham, England. Once I came back, we started positive thinking classes. I take positivity and affirmation classes under the venture called Knoq. I wished to evolve my interests into digital magazines with written stories, photo stories and video stories.

As a part of a photo stories, I started the ‘Humans of Bombay’ page.

Since you take positive thinking classes, how do you stay positive and upbeat in a stressful city like Mumbai? Do you have a stress buster?

It’s about being positive about anything that surrounds you, whether it is a difficult situation and making the most out of that circumstance. It’s about being open to new experiences, new things and new people because life just keeps surprising you. So you should just step out and allow that to happen. I don’t really have a stress buster, I don’t get stressed that easily. At the end of the day, I unwind by listening to good music, chilling and doing my own thing. I make sure I don’t get over stressed about anything at any point. If it is getting too much, I take a step back. I also work out at the gym, hang out with friends, read a book.

‘HOB’ must keep you on your toes. Any beauty regime you follow after the day’s work?

Absolutely none. I am very casual when I go out to shoot, I just wear my jeans or leggings. The idea is not to stick out because at the end of the day, I am a human of Bombay too. I need to be a bit dressed down to make the people feel connected to me.

How do you zero in on your subject for ‘HOB’?

I think over time you just pick the vibe of people and also at times, you have to take your chance. You know somebody that looks interesting, if they have a tattoo or a cool haircut – you just approach them because that is a striking feature. And more often, people are very willing to have their picture taken. A few obviously, say ‘no’, but in general people are very adaptive to share their story.

When you approach the subject, how do you break the ice?

We ask them general questions like what they do, or how old they are or where they have studied, or where they were born and brought up. This makes them a little comfortable and then you go into deeper conversations. Generally, we approach people who are sitting alone or are idle – because then they have the time to talk for 10 to 15 minutes. So you pick your subjects accordingly.

But how do you coax the strangers to reveal their most intimate experiences?

We keep building the conversation and we tell them the focus, which is the concept of ‘HOB’. The page strives to make people feel more connected. So today if you share your story, there will be people around you who are going through the same thing. So you build a community where you don’t feel alone at any point in time. You feel that there are others with you. And that’s the basic idea of ‘HOB’ – to make one person feel connected to the next person.

How do you deal with the flak you receive for some images or experiences on HOB page?

If there are extreme comments, we delete them. But if it’s a healthy argument, where even if one doesn’t exactly agree with what the person is saying but the argument is fine, then we let it pass.

When did you know that HOB was going to be the thing for you?

It became a routine, a part of life. So now when I don’t shoot, I feel a void. The concept really clicked and I love doing it, which is what pushes me and I like to shoot people I don’t know.

If not working for HOB or positive thinking classes, what would you have been doing?

I see myself writing. I will write all my life – whether it is for ‘HOB’ or something else. I will do something people-oriented and something to do with writing and bringing stories to people.

If HOB were to meet you (as a subject), what would you say?

I have no idea. I would be terrified. It would be like, ‘I don’t want to do this’. I don’t like being in front of the camera, I like being behind it.

Categories
Watch

Watch: The Merry Widow – Lehár

Don’t miss this opera screening from The Metropolitan Opera of New York; stars brilliant actress Renée Fleming in the lead role.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The great Renée Fleming stars as the beguiling femme fatale who captivates Paris in Lehár’s enchanting opera, seen in a new staging by Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman (The Producers, Oklahoma!, Contact). In an art-nouveau setting, it features a scintillating climax with singing and dancing grisettes at the legendary Maxim’s. Nathan Gunn and Kelli O’Hara co-star and Andrew Davis conducts.

The basis of the story, concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen’s attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – comes from an 1861 comedy play, L’attaché d’ambassade by Henri Meilhac. The operetta was first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 30 December 1905 with Mizzi Günther as Hanna, Louis Treumann (de) as Danilo, Siegmund Natzler as Baron Zeta and Annie Wünsch as Valencienne. It was Lehár’s first major success, becoming internationally the best-known operetta of its era. Lehár subsequently made changes for productions in London in 1907 (two new numbers), and Berlin in the 1920s, but the definitive version is basically that of the original production.

The Merry Widow is on at the NCPA from today, February 2 to Wednesday, February 4, at 6 pm.

(Picture courtesy www.nromusic.com)

Categories
Wellness

Heart attack risk higher in winter?

Cardiologist Dr TS Kler discusses how the winter can have an adverse effect on your heart, even cause heart attacks.

DR T S KLERAs the temperature stays on the lower side of the mercury, cardiologists across India are advising heart patients to be watchful.

Extreme cold weather not just brings flu and asthma attacks in its wake, it also increases the risk of heart attacks. In fact, evidence suggests that the number of patients reporting heart attacks increases during the winter months. However, awareness regarding these dangers remains abysmally low among people, including among heart patients.

A number of factors cause heart attacks to spike in the winter season:

The most significant is the risk of hypothermia or a sudden loss of body temperature which can put the body in a state of shock. The body suddenly loses its capacity to produce warmth on being exposed to chilly conditions. This may also happen when a person is not adequately protected or covered. This can be extremely dangerous for people living with heart disease. In fact, a lot of people who suffer hypothermia die of heart failure. People with coronary heart disease also often suffer angina or chest pain when exposed to cold weather. The answer is in adopting complete warm protection from head to toe, and dressing up in layers to prevent heat from escaping.

Winters are more stressful to the heart as compared to summers. When the weather is too cold, the heart has to work harder by pumping more warm blood to the peripheral areas of the body. Blood pressure is also seen to rise in winters, putting people at greater risk of heart attacks.

The arteries and veins are believed to tighten or constrict when the weather is extremely cold. This may restrict the supply of oxygen to the heart, putting it under risk.

Another factor is shortage of vitamin D. Often in winters, the Sun refuses to bestow its heat for days resulting in dark, gloomy days. A crucial impact of this sun denial may be shortage of vitamin D in the body, which is not a good thing for the heart.

Cholesterol levels often fluctuate with change in season, which may leave people with borderline high cholesterol with greater cardiovascular risk during the winter months.

How to stay safe

It may sound like common sense but preventing exposure to cold is the main way to stay safe in winters. Often we do not take the cold weather seriously, dressing casually and not bothering about the impact of cold on our bodies. For healthy people, this may just bring a few days of coughing and sneezing or fever at the most. However, in people with heart ailments, this can be catastrophic. So, wear enough clothes, in layers to prevent heat from escaping. Cover yourself, head, neck and feet included, with warm clothes to prevent exposure. Never step out unprotected. Always wear a head scarf to keep the head and ears insulated. Make sure you wear warm socks and gloves to minimise chances of the body losing heat, and hypothermia.

Avoid exhausting yourself. The heart which is already under stress coping with the drop in temperatures might not be able to take another bout of high stress activity. Take rest between work.

Importantly, never take chest pain lying down. Any sign of discomfort should prompt you to immediately rush to a doctor. This can sometimes be life saving.

The writer is Executive Director (Cardiac Sciences), Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi.

(Pictures courtesy www.extremehealthradio.com)

Exit mobile version