This card helps children with autism introduce themselves in social situations

Social situations often leave people with autism overwhelmed. Children with autism especially find communication and social interaction challenging.

To help them cope better in such situations, Together Foundation, an NGO in Mumbai, has come up with a tool.

Sangeetha Chakrapani, who runs Together Foundation, knows how necessary such a tool is. As a parent of two teenagers with autism, she has experienced these challenges.

People with autism have issues with sensory processing. They are unable to take multiple inputs at one time. In a party situation, where there are many people and lots of noises, it can be even more unsettling.

Chakrapani has designed a Social Introduction Card. A child with autism can hand out the card to anyone who wishes to know more about them.

It tells the world their names, their age, how autism makes them unique, what they do, what they like, and how one can be friends with them. On the other side of the card is a calendar that anyone can use.

The card takes the pressure off children and their parents in unfamiliar or awkward social situations. It also helps people connect with them better.

The card also explains that autism is a lifelong developmental disability and that people with autism look at the world in a different way.