Dubai teenager with autism has flourished at Integreat School

Autistic 19-year-old uses flash cards to show healthy and unhealthy food groups and repeats ‘fire station’ after a class visit with teachers at the Integreat Centre.

Like many parents with children with special needs, Savitri Kisani struggled to find a place for her son, Krishna, once he turned 17. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

DUBAI // “How was school?” was never a question Krishna Kisani was able to answer.

But the 19-year-old, who has autism, now takes out flash cards to show healthy and unhealthy food groups and repeats “fire station” after a class visit with teachers at the Integreat Centre.

His mother, Savitri, enjoys finally knowing what her son does in school as a result of a structured programme that helps the teenager to open up and communicate.

“Before, I wouldn’t know what he did. The teachers would write down what was done in the diary. Now, it is beautiful to see him show me his day with flash cards. Even if he says just one word, it is his way to communicate with us,” Mrs Kisani said.

“When he gets a worksheet home and fills in the blanks, it helps him recall what he has done. Constant repetition and a daily routine are very important.” Like many parents of disabled children, Mrs Kisani struggled to find a place for Krishna once he turned 17 because there are few facilities in the UAE for slow learners and low functioning young adults once they leave special needs schools.

“Our worry was where do we put him next. This is a blessing because he looks forward to go to the centre because he loves learning something different.

“Earlier, we literally had to push him to go to school. Now he comes home with a lot of positivity and wants to finish off homework.”

Vidya Ayyaswamy, a special needs educator, said preparation was key.

“Krishna works well with visuals. Students with autism like to know things in advance and learning must be supported with pictorial images to prepare them. If you give a verbal instruction, they forget what it is. They need a sequence to know what comes next.”

Krishna and his classmates were also taken to a clothes shop by teachers and encouraged to explore colours and what size suited them.

His parents repeated the experiment, allowing him time alone to choose, and Krishna picked up a pair of denim shorts on his first solo shopping trip.

“Before, we never gave him the chance to look at clothes – we chose for him. He did not even know his size,” Mrs Kisani said.

Anxious among people he does not know, Krishna cannot express himself easily.

Still, he can reel out the ingredients of butter chicken and cheesecake from recipes he finds on the internet and also enjoys playing the piano.

His father, Manoj, hopes to nourish Krishna’s newfound ­independence.

“If he can communicate what he needs, or when he is alone if he can walk to a supermarket to buy something on his own, these are our goals,” he said.