Reaching for the stars

DR RADICA MAHASE

Jivan Chaitoo is already making his mark on this world. Last month, he received an award for personal achievement at the Autism Superhero Awards 2021 organised by Support Autism T&T.

He is a well-rounded, eight-year-old boy who embraces life, has a passion for learning and enjoys participating in a variety of activities. Chaitoo loves outdoor adventurous sports; plays cricket and football and loves outdoor activities like flying a kite, picnic at the park, hiking, camping or simply just exercising on the cricket fields. He excels at swimming and dancing and he loves to garden.

He also likes magic tricks; spending time with his cousins (who adore him) and playing board games. He reads extensively and loves to bake cookies and cupcakes, play board games and to watch sci-fi shows and those about wild and dangerous animals. He spends time taking care of his pet dog and birds and wants be a vet when he grows up, so he can help animals and make people happy.

Chaitoo is a standard one pupil at Cunjal Government Primary School, Barrackpore. The road to getting him enrolled into a primary school was not exactly an easy one.

His father, Joel, noted, “We visited two schools without him and in both cases the principals were not aware of what autism spectrum disorder entailed. We were turned away without them seeing or evaluating our child.

"Today, he is an exceptional reader at school and progressing great with online classes and is currently at the top of his class.”

Like many other children on the autism spectrum, Chaitoo faced various challenges. He was very sensitive to long-sleeved clothing and to touching his head and hair. In social situations, when he was with children, he would tend to play by himself or with the older children or the adults. Sometimes, he would get angry and emotional. He dislikes loud noises and loud speaking.

Today, he struggles with communication. Owing to covid19, he cannot interact physically and play with his classmates, which makes it even more difficult for him to develop his communication skills.

One of his bigger problems is getting people to understand him when he is trying to explain things. Sometimes he has trouble with using proper sentences to articulate a point.

Also, the fact that many people do not understand autism and the challenges associated with it makes different situations difficult for Chaitoo.

These challenges haven’t stopped Chaitoo from developing his talents and from participating in a wide range of activities. He spends most of his time drawing flags and researching the countries and their territories, and wants to travel the world one day. He plays the piano and listens to all types of music in his spare time. Chaitoo recently completed an online tech camp course where he learned to build websites and design apps and he is now enrolled in Microsoft Word and Excel courses.

Chaitoo’s successes in both academics and extra-curricular activities is credited to the dedication of his parents, Joel and Dianne Chaitoo. They have helped him to navigate through his challenges and they continue to support him fully in anything he wants to do and to provide opportunities for him to learn and develop.

His father said, “Parents have to start accepting their children for who they are. Always stay positive, be affectionate and respectful. Being emotionally strong allows you to be the best parent you can be to your child in need. We have learned so much from him – it’s amazing how much their little minds can entail.”

He also advised parents to “reward good behaviour and celebrate small successes. Make time for fun and praise them with little things such as a favourite toy, an ice cream or maybe a snack, whatever little to make them happy and smile. Create a home of love, comfort and joy to always make them feel safe and unconditionally loved and accepted. Always give them a hug, which comforts them a lot and makes them feel so special and loved.

"Don’t give up on them – kids have an entire lifetime to grow and develop their abilities. It’s impossible to predict the course of autism. Educate yourself about treatment options and ask questions, etc. There are tremendous benefits that result from your enjoyment of your child’s company.”

Chaitoo’s advice to other children is, “Be a good child; listen to your parents. Spend a lot of time reading and exploring. There are so many interesting things we can all learn each day.”

Dr Radica Mahase is the founder/director of Support Autism T&T