#StayandPlay- 10-year-old Sai Charan Narayan has his hands full with activities during lockdown

In our monthly feature #StayandPlay, today we have 10 year old Sai Charan Narayan from Kochi. Sai was diagnosed with autism when he was around two years old. During this lockdown period, he has his hands full of activities. Sai has tried shell and stone painting which he thoroughly loves doing. Apart from that, he is also into cooking, music, dance and playing the key-board.

For 10-year-old Sai Charan Narayan who has autism, this lockdown period is not as boring as his mother Jayanthi Narayanan thought it would be. Sai is enjoying every bit of staying indoors by indulging in music, dance and arts. Sai who has completed class 4, is studying in a regular school called Craft World School in Kochi. The last three weeks have been busy for Sai, and so it will be till the lockdown gets over on 3 May.

The journey of a mother-son duo

Jayanthi says that Sai had regular developmental milestones as a child. Due to delayed speech and hyperactivity, Jayanthi decided to consult him to a doctor who diagnosed Sai with autism.

I was completely clueless about autism and I was in tears when I knew that my son had a disability. No mother would want to go through all that. But I decided to take one step at a time. Each small achievement of Sai was a big thing to me. He brought to me a lot of joy- Jayanthi Narayanan, Sai’s mother.

Sai was admitted to a regular school from the start. Till date, he has been enjoying his time with close friends, classmates and teachers at school.

Enjoying staying indoors to the fullest

Children with autism prefers following a regular routine. So a change in that can cause mood swings and other issues. So Jayanthi follows Sai’s regular routine without fail. His day begins by waking up at 7 am. Instead of his school time, Sai is introduced to various activities inside the house itself.

“Every child wants their play and TV time. I give Sai all of it. He does some academic work too. He loves mathematics. So we do math lessons at home”, says Jayanthi.

Apart from that, Sai helps Jayanthi in chopping vegetables. They make Sai’s favorite dishes together. Later in the day, Sai and Jayanthi watches cartoons together. The mother-son duo then spends time with their pet dog who is now 15-years old. Sai loves his company! Both Sai and Jayanthi loves music and dance. So evenings are spent by dancing to their favorite songs.

Sai, who loves art, recently started painting on shells and stones. “He got a stone painting kit from one of my friends for his last birthday. Sai fell in love with it. He does it even now”, says Jayanthi. During this lockdown period, he was also introduced to yoga and meditation.

Shell and stone painting– Initially, Jayanthi gave him a chart paper on which Sai could paint however he loved to. Sometimes using a brush or his own hands. Slowly, he started painting on clay pots, stones and shells. If ordering stone painting kits online are tough during this lockdown, parents can manage pebbles from outside their homes or ask neighbors too. According to Jayanthi, pebble painting helps Sai because it is all about looking into minute details. He wants to get perfection for all the intricate designs too. Texture of stones helps to calm him down as well.

Yoga and meditation– Sai was introduced to yoga and meditation during the lockdown period. Undoubtedly, it does wonders to children with autism in many ways. Jayanthi says that Sai has been improving a lot when it comes to meditation. He takes time to learn new things. To help such people, there are yoga balls which Jayanthi uses for Sai. He has been taught all the basic yoga exercises. Jayanthi asks him to open his eyes to the count of 1,2,3. Now, Sai has reached till 25.

“All the activities are keeping him completely busy. We are loving this time of staying indoors”, says Jayanthi.

Watch in Sign Language

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• #StayandPlay – Learn the art of making doughnuts like a pro from marathoner Varun Sawant