As a part of my Parents Perspective series, I also had the opportunity to interview fellow Pragnya child, Adarsh’s Father. Adarsh has been coming to Pragnya for almost a year now.
His father explained how at first Adarsh was very shy and anxious to get together in these social situations. It took a few weeks for him to get more acclimated to the PRAGNYA environment and get more comfortable with the other kids and allys. However, of late he now looks forward to coming to sessions week after week to interact with his friends and express himself in the motivating and uplifting surrounding we as ally's aim to create.
His father said after four to five weeks of attending Pragnya he asked Adarsh whether he was having fun, Adarsh replied exuberantly “fun is an understatement.'' This simple statement says it all- it shows how he was truly able to be himself in the Pragnya environment with all the ally’s. His father also recalls the time when Adarsh got injured on a social excursion, and he was comforted by how Prangya treated him as if he were family- Supporting Adarsh and his parents through the difficult time.
Another specific moment that I want to mention that wasn't a part of the Interview, was something that took place at our gratitude gala recently. Towards the end, Adarsh out of his own volition came up to speak in front of the audience about his time at Pragnya. As he saw all the Ally's going up and getting recognized, he too wanted to share with the audience how Pragnya has impacted him. We as ally’s are so proud to see Adarsh come out of his comfort zone and express his thoughts.
This is what we strive for in Pragnya, it is to help neurodiverse kids realize their potential and create a support system in which they can thrive as individuals.
- Preethi Edara