Presence is Important: A Hindu Perspective
Bringing up a child with autism is always a great challenge. Taking our son (he is 6-years-old now) to religious functions or other functions that take place in temples was and is a great challenge. Autism is not a common occurrence among earlier generations of Indians. Most do not know much about it. There are certain unique features of most Asian cultures, especially Indians, which actually work to our advantage. Indian families are generally very tolerant of unruly kids. They tolerate screaming and tantrums by their children very well and behave very much the same way when they encounter other children exhibiting difficult behavior. Many of the western classifications of child behavior such as attention deficit syndrome, hyperactivity, etc. (which some use to describe milder versions of the “dreaded” autism spectrum disorders) will be dismissed with contempt. The Indian viewpoint is: It is OKAY for kids not to be paying attention or hyperactive.... all these will disappear when they grow up. The truth is I have seen enough to accept that this is true from my experience. But kids with ASDs are a different matter. Our son actually likes to attend concerts and watch dancing, singing, etc., which are an integral part of celebrations at Hindu temples. Hindu temples are very social and lively places. There is a lot of talking, chatting, and chanting of Sanskrit incantations. Because of this, our son’s tantrums or screaming to leave the place sometimes are barely noticed. One reason could be he is very well behaved most of the time.... he would sometimes cry and want to be taken away. Those who notice just think of it as some extra sensitive child expressing his dislike of noise and crowds, but nobody seems to express resentment or intolerance. There was one occasion when the guy sitting next to me at a temple function wanted me to quiet my constantly squirming son. I told him that as he is not making any noise, he should concentrate on the function and not worry about my son’s restlessness. He was upset that I could not keep my son quiet and left with displeasure! Other than that sole incident, the Indian community has been very tolerant and helpful wherever we went with our son. We have had no hesitation in taking our son to temples for attending religious functions or routine visits for worship. We hope that at least this part of Asian culture survives so that parents of children with ASDs do not face additional difficulties in taking care of their children.
Mekala Ravishankarv is a parent who lives in New Jersey.
“Autism is not a common occurrence among earlier generations of Indians. Most do not know much about it.”
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A Journey Into Community
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