The Autism Awareness Walk, April 2025

 The Autism Awareness Walk, organized by Divi’s Foundation for Gifted Children in collaboration with Divi’s Laboratories Limited and Fernandez Child Development Center, was a resounding success, bringing together individuals of all ages to promote acceptance and inclusion for those on the autism spectrum. On 13^th April, more than 800 Divi’s employees along with their families and community members came together for promoting awareness about Autism through walks in both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. While over 200 participants gathered at KBR Park, Hyderabad, nearly 600 participants joined the walk on the beach road in Visakhapatnam.

Now in its fifth year, this walk stands as a symbol of our continued commitment to the Autism community—raising awareness, fostering acceptance, encouraging early detection, and helping families feel seen, supported, and understood.

SEPTEMBER 18^th to 20^th 2024

Autism Across the Lifespan – Controversies and Critical Issues

About I-CAN 2024

THEINDO-CANADIANAUTISMNETWORK (I-CAN) is an international volunteer network that links Canadian expertise with Indian clinicians and researchers in autism and related disorders. I-CAN’s primary goal is to provide participating centers in India and Canada with a platform for sharing and exchanging knowledge and experience.
I-CAN is hosted and sponsored by Divis Foundation for Gifted Children, a 3-day symposium from 18th to 20th September 2024, in Hyderabad, India. Autism Across the Lifespan – Controversies and Critical Issues has been aptly chosen as the title of the event to represent the range of topics that will be covered, from autism assessment and intervention, transitions, and critical issues and debates that shape the lives of individuals with autism and their families..
I-CAN 2024 included two days of clinical presentations, keynotes, invited lectures and interactive workshops with the goal to continue to build capacity through training, education and engagement with critical topics that impact the quality of life of autistic children, adolescents, adults and their families.
On day 3, for the first time, I-CAN hosted a session for parents and professionals. We are pleased to have Ms Merry Barua, founder of Action for Autism and INSAR Advocate of the Year awardee (2015), as our guest speaker for this session.

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

The Symposium is held in two Parts:

Part 1 a set of 2-day training workshops. This is open to I-CAN Leads from Canada and India and three delegates from each I-CAN India site.
Day 1 provided advanced tools, approaches and strategies to clinicians and researchers
working in the field of autism and its related disorders in the following areas:

• Controversies Surrounding Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and How to Move Forward

• Supporting Autistic Toddlers and Their Caregivers

• Sexuality in Puberty

• Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) Reliability Training Exercises
• Working with Families

• Complex Case Discussions

Day 2 introduced important and relevant topics related to autistic adolescents and Adults in the Following Areas:

• Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Disorders and the Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations (ESSENCE) Concept
• Communication Challenges

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Siblings and Caregivers

• Transition to Adulthood

• Helping Caregivers Find Time for Themselves

Three workshops ran concurrently each day, led by Indian and Canadian leads in specific areas:

• Each Workshop Accommodated up to 15-18

• 12 Canadian and Indian Leads and 27 Trainees from the I-CAN Sites

Part 2 : Workshop for Parents, Caregivers and Professionals

Topics: 1. Autism and Mental Health

Speaker: Dr Vikram Dua – Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist in Vancouver, Canada, Expert in Complex individuals in Autism and Developmental Delay

Topics: 2. Using Visual Supports Speaker:

Speaker: Ms Merry Barua – Founder of Action for Autism, New Delhi and INSAR Advocate of the Year awardee (2015)

Use of Visual Supports

Autism is not defined by behaviours but rather by a unique cognitive and sensory processing system. Individuals on the autism spectrum experience the world differently, with distinct neurological patterns that shape how they perceive information, process stimuli, and interact with their environment. A marker of this difference is that many autistic individuals are visual learners who are best able to retain and process information that is presented visually. The use of visuals accommodates autistic differences, and respects individual strengths and challenges, rather than attempting to suppress, fix or normalise autistic behaviours. The workshop will discuss the different ways that visuals can contribute to autistic wellbeing.

Divi’s Foundation for Gifted Children (DFGC) has actively participated in the 13^th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon to support the cause and raise awareness about Autism.

More than 500 individuals, including numerous employees from divis labs and Fernandez hospital, actively participated in the 13th NMDC Hyderabad marathon on August 26th and 27th Aug 2024. Our primary objective was to raise awareness and show support for autism.

Autism Awareness Walk: From Surviving to Thriving 2024

Hyderabad, India – Divi's Laboratories Limited is delighted to announce the success

of the April Autism Awareness Walk for Autism Acceptance and Inclusion, which took place on April 7 th , 2024, at KBR Park, Hyderabad.

Organized by Divi’s in collaboration with Divis Foundation for Gifted Children (DFGC) and Fernandez Child Development Center (FCDC), the event aimed at raising awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), highlighting the daily journey of individuals with autism and their families, as they overcome challenges and pursue a brighter future. The Autism Awareness Walk was a great opportunity for everyone, young and old,  to come together and show their support for those on the spectrum.

At Divis we believe in creating an environment where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can flourish and achieve their full potential," said a volunteer from Divi.
The event received tremendous support, and Divi's family is grateful to all the participants and volunteers who made the Autism Awareness Walk a great success.

We look forward to organizing similar events in the future to promote autism awareness and advocate for the acceptance they deserve.

August 2023 –12 th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon

Divi’s Foundation for Gifted Children (DFGC) has actively participated in the 12 th NMDC
Hyderabad Marathon to support the cause and raise awareness about Autism. More than 450 individuals, including numerous employees from divis labs and Fernandez hospital, actively participated in the 12th NMDC Hyderabad marathon onAugust 26th and 27th. Our primary objective was to raise awareness and show support for autism.

We genuinely appreciate and thank all the participants who contributed to this noble cause and hope for even more supporters to join us in our mission to raise awareness in future.

AUTISM AWARENESS WALK – APRIL 2023

April is observed as Autism Awareness month – a time to recognize and support millions of individuals around the world who are on the autism spectrum. Divi’s Foundation for Gifted Children (DFGC) in partnership with Fernandez child development centre (FCDC) has organized an Autism awareness Walk on 9th April 2023 at the KBR park to come together as a community, have fun, raise awareness and support for individuals with autism More than 500 supporters from Divi’s, FCDC, Families & Friends, Fitness enthusiasts took part by circling a full walk at the KBR park

AUTISM AWARENESS WALK @VIZAG – APRIL 2023

On April 23, 2023, our Vizag team organized an Autism Awareness Walk at RK Beach Road, with over 500 participants from Divi’s, families, friends, and fitness enthusiasts joining together as a community to support individuals with autism. The walk involved circling the full length of the beach, with the goal of spreading awareness about autism and promoting acceptance and inclusion. We at Divi’s are committed to making a positive impact in our communities, and events like these provide us with the opportunity to show our support for those affected by autism. We believe that by coming together and raising awareness, we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Addressing Challenges and Creating Opportunities

March 1-3, 2023 • Hyderabad, India

The Indo-Canadian Autism Network (I-CAN), supported by the Divis Foundation for Gifted Children, hosted a 3-day event in Hyderabad, India (March 1-3, 2023). The event aimed to:

1. Build capacity through training and education
2. Explore international collaboration opportunities

The goal was to improve the quality of life for autistic individuals and their families in India by sharing knowledge and experience between Canadian and Indian experts.

– 2 days of clinical training workshops on autism and related disorders

– Panel discussions and keynotes on priority areas

– one day-long roundtable meeting for I-CAN Leads to discuss future plans

The symposium covered topics such as:

– Transitional aged youth with autism

– Advanced training in complex cases

– ADOS and reliability training

– Challenging behavior and adaptive skills

– Alternative and augmentative communication options

– Mental health approaches for autistic individuals and their families

The event brought together 20 Canadian and Indian Leads and 36 trainees from I-CAN sites.

Summary of the symposium agenda:

Day 1 (March 1st)

– Keynote Address: Dr. Vikram Dua on “Progression or Regression in the Transition Years”

– Invited Lecture: Tina Gandhi on “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy”

– Complex Case Presentation: Dr. Koyeli Sengupta and Dr. Dedeepya Puskur

– Concurrent Workshops:

1. Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Ms. Kavita Kamat)
2. Social ABCs (Sethu & Bloorview)
3. ADOS for Adolescents and Adults (Dr. Nidhi Singhal and Dr. Vikram Dua)

Day 2 (March 2nd)

– Concurrent Workshops:

1. Functional Assessment and Treatment Planning (Ms. Megan Wilcott)
2. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (Dr. S S Meera, NIMHANS)
3. Retention and Quality Improvement in Autism Services (Mr. Brad Saunders & Ms. Deanna Strazzella)

– Complex Case Presentation: Dr. Kirthika Rajaraman and Dr. Vikram Dua

– Panel Discussion: Alternative Treatments, Advanced Investigations, and Neurological Treatments

– Keynote Address: Dr. Nandita de Souza on “Sexuality, Adolescence, and Autism”

The symposium covered various topics related to autism, including transition years, challenging behaviors, communication, diagnosis, and treatment options.

August 2022 –11^th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon

Divi’s Foundation for Gifted Children (DFGC) has actively participated in the 11^th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon to support the cause and raise awareness about Autism.

More than 400 supporters took part in the marathon (5K/10K) including several employees of Divi’s Laboratories & Fernandez Hospitals with an aim to spread awareness of Autism.

We thank all the supporters who participated in the run and wish many more supporters will join our cause in the future and help the ~2.2 million children in India that are diagnosed with Autism.

Indo Canadian Conference (I-CAN) –17th to 19th February 2020

Workshop Program

As a continuation to the I-CAN conference in 2019, Divi’s Foundation hosted a conference in February 2020. 5 delegates from Canada collaborated with various Indian centres trained nearly 60 delegates from these centres on advanced topics in the field of Autism Care. This conference was held for 3 days; the first two days are training sessions with smaller groups focussing on special topic areas. The third day was a round table conference.

Objectives of Workshop:

• Aims at building capacity through training and developing an international network for clinicians and researchers.
• Focusing on priority areas of diagnosis, early intervention, complex presentations, and family support, I-CAN 2020 included a series of 2-day training workshops, followed a 1-day roundtable meeting devoted to forward engagement and network development.

Training Workshop Sessions:

• Workshop 1:Diagnostic assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Introduction to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)- Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
• Workshop 2:ASD and Comorbidity: A Workshop on Clinical Approach to Assessing and Treating Complex Patients Throughout their Development – Vikram Dua
• Workshop 3:Understanding How Children Learn: A Framework to Address Challenging Behaviour And Teach Adaptive Skills – Kavita Kamat
• Workshop 4:An Introduction to the Social ABCs for Infants and Toddlers with Emergent Autism Spectrum Disorders – Kate Bernardi and Erin Dowds

I-CAN Faculty Profile:

Vikram Dua, MD, FRCP(C)

Dr. Dua is a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist with clinical and research interests in complex individuals with autism and developmental disabilities – and systems of care that partner with community providers to enhance access to clinical expertise and evidence-based treatments. Dr. Dua has 20 years’ experience developing and implementing innovative dual-diagnosis services in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. He has also provided training and consultation to several autism centres across India over the last decade. Dr. Dua is the Canadian lead of the Indo-Canadian Autism Network (I-CAN), dedicated to increasing knowledge and capacity for neurodevelopmental services and research in India.

Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD, FRCP(C)

Dr. Zwaigenbaum is Edmonton Zone Clinical Department Head for Child Health with Alberta Health Services and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. He is also a Clinician Scientist supported by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Chair in Autism, Distinguished Scientist Award of Stollery Science Lab, and national awards from CIHR, Brain Canada, and Autism Speaks Canada. His research focuses on early detection and diagnosis, as well as factors influencing development and outcomes, of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). He directs one of the two Canadian sites of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, which focuses on optimizing health care for children with ASD.

Dan Goldowitz, Ph.D.

Dr. Goldowitz received his PhD in Psychobiology at the University of California at Irvine and did postdoctoral training in Boston, Stockholm and Salt Lake City where the focus was on brain development. Currently, he is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neurogenetics and Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at UBC and member of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics. He led a successful application and a renewal for a Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence in brain development in late 2009 and 2014, called NeuroDevNet, and now called Kids Brain Health Network.

Kavita Kamat, MSW, M.Ed., BCBA

Ms. Kamat is a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst and the Clinical Director of Laurel Behaviour Support Services (LBSS). LBSS provides behaviour support to over 300 children and over 200 adults across the Lower Mainland, the Island, Sunshine Coast and the Okanagan region in British Columbia. Kavita has extensive experience working with culturally diverse families with children who have autism and other cognitive disabilities in home, school, community and residential settings. As the Director of the program she currently provides clinical supervision and oversight to a team of 30 clinicians.

Kate Bernardi, BAH, CCLS

Ms. Bernardi is a Social ABCs early intervention trainer, parent coach and a certified Child Life Specialist (CLS), with a background in psychology and child development. Kate has worked in the Autism Research Centre at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for the past ten years, first on the Baby Siblings study monitoring very early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and then with Social ABCs as a parent coach for both the in-home and group programs. She is also a trained trainer, teaching new staff and multidisciplinary teams to deliver the Social ABCs in various practice settings.

Erin Dowds, MA, ECS.

Ms. Dowds has been a parent coach with the Social ABCs since its development in 2007. Erin holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Studies and is knowledgeable in very early intervention in autism spectrum disorders. Erin is an experienced trainer of Social ABCs parent coaches in both research and community contexts and is passionate about parent-mediated intervention in the early years of a child’s development.

Centres Attended the Workshop:

• Action for Autism
• Centre for Child Development and Disabilities
• Fernandez Child Development Centre
• Latika Roy Memorial Foundation
• NIMHANS
• Sethu Centre for Child Development
• John’s Medical College Hospital
• Ummeed
• London Learning Centre
• AIIMS
• Goa Medical College

Introductory Seminar: Hyderabad INDIA March 2020

Understanding Social-Emotional development and Communication through a DIR® FloortimeTM Lens

By Chithra Kathiresan (Speech-Language Therapist, Singapore)

ABOUT THE SEMINAR

DIR Floortime’s Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDC) were introduced to participants. Have debunked common myths about social skills and behaviors, comprehended communication breakdowns, and identified strategies to aid comprehension. Investigated strategies for promoting meaningful two-way communication in daily interactions. Participants gained a better understanding of how caregiver-child interactions provide the most powerful teaching and learning opportunities for children.

DIR Floortime Model

The DIR Floortime model is based on typical child development principles. The strategies derived from the model are applicable to children with atypical development, regardless of their diagnosis. Hence this methodology can be successfully applied with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, AD(H)D, Global Developmental Delay, Speech delay, Down Syndrome and a wide range of other developmental delays and disorders. Although the strategies are most widely used with young children 0-6 years, the principles can also be applied to older school-going children, including youths and adolescents. 
This seminar is meant for parents, caregivers, teachers and professionals, who are seeking an introduction to DIR Floortime. And for those who are looking for a methodology to go beyond teaching kids to talk, to helping them to relate and think for themselves!

Faculty Profile:

Chithra Kathiresan has been working as a speech-language therapist for more than 26-years, in Singapore. Her broad experience includes working in hospitals, school, home and clinic, with a wide age-range, from infants to teens and young adults. Her diverse caseload includes nonverbal students with intellectual disability, to highly verbal, twice-exceptional gifted individuals. She appreciates development in all its colours! She works with caregivers from many different cultures and is highly sensitive to differences in parenting in Asia. Chithra has been learning and growing in DIR® FloortimeTM since 2003. She is DIR® FloortimeTM associate Faculty for the USA certification body Profectum. Chithra trains in their online certification programs and tutors’ professionals internationally. She has presented several DIR® FloortimeTM trainings in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia. Chithra is guest lecturer and clinical educator for the NUS MSc. Speech Language Pathology program in Singapore

Speech-Language Therapist & Clinical Director,Connect and Communicate LLP, Singapore

B.Sc. (Speech Pathology), Australia

DIR  Floortime Expert with ICDL, USA

DIR Floortime Associate Faculty, Profectum, USA

Social Thinking Training and Speakers Collaborative, USA

Hanen Certified (ITTT, MTW, Talkability), Canada

24th July 2019 – Indo Canadian Conference (I-CAN)

A delegation of 12 Indian clinicians and researchers met with 5 Canadian experts in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for a day-long conference on the topics of ASD, the current status and needs of ASD clinical services and research in India. The main objective of this conference was to share expertise with Indian clinicians, researchers and stakeholders, and together explore issues like identification of priorities, challenges with knowledge mobilization, and real-life realities of translation to the Indian context. The conference was broken into eight 45-minute sessions focussing on specific topics.

The Delegates who participated:

Canada

• Vikram Dua University of Toronto
• Lonnie Zwaigenbaum University of Alberta
• Dan Goldowitz University of British Columbia
• Jessica Brian University of Toronto
• Patrick McGrath Dalhousie University

India

• Nandini Mundkur Center for Child D&D
• Nandita DE Souza Sethu Centre for Child Development
• Supriya Malik London Learning Centre
• Pramod Gaddam Fernandez Hospital Foundation
• John Vijay Sagar Nat. Institute MH and Neurosciences
• Mimi Silveira Goa Medical College
• Nidhi Singhal Action for Autism
• Koyeli Sengupta Ummeed
• Ashok MV St. John’s Medical College Hospital
• Sheffali Gulati All India Institute of Medical Sciences
• Aarti Nair Latika Roy Foundation
• Meera Srinath NIMHANS/UNC

The main discussion themes included:

• Identification: Diagnosis, Screening and Surveillance
• Early Interventions for children with ASD
• Complex Presentations and Comorbidities
• Parent/Family support needs
• Outreach, Community Engagement and Knowledge Translation
• Capacity-Building and Training
• Research and Professional Mentoring

Next Steps and Strategic Plan:

• Help create ASD centre(s) of excellence across India.
• Assist in developing simple local tools.
• Provide low-cost, highly accessible targeted training workshops.
• Webinar series and/or online courses
• Access to ongoing clinical supervision and mentoring
• Mentoring fellowships – individualized by centres depending on need (could be research, clinical, cross-disciplinary)
• Pilot projects in corporate sector to support adult employment
• Complete environmental scan(s) of available resources and develop navigation tools for families
• Make I-CAN the “go-to” entity for policy makers – like INSAR or Autism Speaks
• Social media presence
• Research mentoring; could be modelled on Canada’s National Autism Research Training Program”
• Presentation to IAP/IPS as pre conference workshop

As part of our vision DFGC kickstarted its awareness program by participating in the Airtel Marathon Run.

This is the first Awareness event organised by DFGC. 450 participants from Divi’s Laboratories and Fernandez Hospitals ran the 5km, 10km, half marathon and full marathon in order to raise awareness for Autism.

Many of the participants were questioned during the run “What is Autism?” This laid a platform for the planning of the upcoming events in 2020.

About Dr.BAILEY’S

Dr. Bailey is the Professor and Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UBC in July 2010. He came from the University of Oxford where he was the Cheryl and Reece Scott Chair of Psychiatry, the first medical chair devoted to the study of autism. Dr. Anthony Bailey’s clinical work focuses on teenagers and able adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr.Bailey’s research has investigated the neurobiological basis of autistic disorders, using genetic, neuropathological and neuroimaging approaches. Until his move to Canada, Dr.Bailey coordinated the International Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium: a large international team of clinicians and scientists brought together to identify susceptibility genes for autism.

Dr.BAILEY’S PEDIATRICS WORKSHOP

Dr. Bailey conducted a two day workshop in Hyderabad during his visit in January 2017. He did a one-day training program for the therapists at the centre. On the second day DFGC along with Twin Cities Branch of Indian Academy of Pediatrics invited Dr. Bailey to give a talk on Autism and its possible detection of early signs. First signs of autism usually appear before the child reaches the age of two years. Early Intervention is the key to improving the child’s quality of life.