Each child is wired and inspired differently!

Children who are neurodivergent (Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism etc.) might struggle to acquire skills like reading, writing, sustaining effort, time management and responding to their social environment etc. Not only do these struggles pose challenges for them in their daily life but they also end up depriving them of simple experiences of life that we take for granted – of getting admission in schools, being invited to birthday parties, of getting acknowledged for their skills and achievements, of being respected by their teachers and other adults and not sneered at, bullied, ridiculed for minor lapses and ostracized as being “weird.” What strikes us constantly when we work with children who are neurodivergent is that it is the injustice of what they and their families have to face from day to day becomes a larger problem than their atypical wiring. It is our society’s obsession with “normal” that robs them of their dignity, safety and basic human rights.

Neurodiversity comes from a basic belief is that being neurodivergent is not a disorder or an illness but a way of being. At Children First, we believe that we need to build communities of concern for our children where they are valued and welcomed for who they are and not stigmatised for who they are not! Children live in a world that fails them in so many ways. We need to be better, do better and make sure we are working towards a more just world which honours all kinds of minds.

If you align with our views, we would request you to share your lived experience as a parent, child, young person, teacher, therapist at ntc@childrenfirstindia.com.