Category Archives: Autism

Praiteike Babbar Opens Up About Drugs, Heartbreak & Depression

17 Apr 2016

I let failure get to me and I was confused if I should be an actor. In eight years whatever I had done had not worked, while other actors were doing well. I stopped listening to scripts as I was very depressed. I loved the people around me and I loved going on the sets, but I isolated myself from everything. My fears took over me. However, now I am not scared anymore.

Now that take guts, especially when you are a known personality. Here are 3 important things he revealed in his interview.

On Drugs

I turned to drugs at a very young age and at 19, I came out of rehab. All that I was going through emotionally led me to that. I was stupid and rebellious. In the last three years I wasn’t in rehab, but yes, I did do drugs. My depression, my failed relationship and losing the person that mattered to me the most (grandmom) – it all broke me. I was at a stage where I did not love myself. Depression and anger are such a bad combo, it leads to bad decisions and obnoxious behaviour. I am cleaning up all that now. I have left that life of drugs and partying behind me. Today, I am stable and sober. Sanjay Dutt had gone through a similar patch when ‘Rocky’ released and it became a huge success. He went on a sabbatical, but he came out stronger. His fans loved him so much that they gave him another chance. I want to share my story with my fans and those who love me. I want to tell them, yes, I have made mistakes but I am here to make up for it. I have turned over a new leaf. More than anything else, I am working on myself right now. I want to love myself and love my life. So no drugs, no cheating, no controversy, no trouble.

Losing His Grandmother

The whole process of losing her was terribly painful. She has given me immense love and all I wanted to do was make her proud, and make her part of my success. I couldn’t live up to it and that made me very angry. I was full of self-pity and was dogged with questions about my life. I wondered why people liked me. Was it because my mother had died? Did they feel bad for me? Maybe, they liked me for all these reasons and not because I was a good actor. All those thoughts tore me apart. After my grandmom passed away, I realised how everything in the past was pretty much my fault, and I had got it all wrong. But over time, I have made peace with myself and all those thoughts are behind me now. I only have gratitude for my parents and others around me.

Heartbreak

I didn’t know what to do with myself after I broke up with Amy. It left a void in my life. I am not so good with heartbreak. It is not like I wanted a partner, it is more like I needed one. I thought I won’t be able to survive without a partner. People around me told me that I was trying to fill a void of a female figure in my life, as I didn’t have a mother, and was raised by my grandmom who was so much older. I was scared of not being in a relationship.

Chinese Scientists Working on Autism Cure

14 Feb 2016

Chinese scientists have created monkeys with a version of autism that could eventually help in the cure for this complex spectrum of brain disorders that affects millions of children worldwide. Autism has been identified in approximately 1 in 68 children in the U.S., and its characteristics are only now becoming better known.

Dad Who Fights for Son With Autism Says He Never Gives Up

12 Feb 2016

Since Bill Davis’ son, Chris, was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, the Pennsylvania dad has learned to modify his expectations, often making changes where needed in order to help his son succeed.

I Have Autism. Here are Five Things I Want You To Know

10 Feb 2016

I was diagnosed with classic autism when I was 4. I found the word a terrifying place. In some ways, it’s still a frightening place for me. But I have reached a point where I am a professional public speaker on autism.

Parents often ask me to give them advice for their children who are on the autism spectrum. There are many things parents don’t understand about their children with autism. Here are things I wish parents of children with autism would understand.

‘This Brought a Tear To My Eye’

26 Jan 2016

AS far as heartwarming tales go, it doesn’t get much better than this. Teenager Sam, seen jiving away in this video, has autism. Like many people with this condition, he also has a movement disorder which makes it hard for him to keep his body still.

In a Different Key, the Story of Autism

22 Jan 2016

In their book published this month, In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, journalists John Donvan and Caren Zucker delve into the history of the good and bad intentions, sometimes wrongheaded science and shifting definitions that can cloud our understanding of what has come to be called the autism spectrum.

Love on the Spectrum: How Autism Brought One Couple Together

12 Jan 2016

“Pssst!” With that one syllable, Dave Hamrick can tell how his wife is feeling. It might be a confident “pssst” if she’s happy; a quiet, deflated one if she’s feeling sad. “An enthusiastic one would be like pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst,” he demonstrates, in a psst that lasts several seconds. “That means she’s interested in a little more than just cuddling,” Hamrick says with a smile.

Meet Leka, the Vibrating ‘Social Robot’ Designed to Help Children with Autism

06 Jan 2016

The little, round robot is on display at the global consumer electronics and technology tradeshow CES 2016, in Las Vegas. According to Leka’s makers, the interactive robot can help to stimulate children with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and Down’s syndrome, or multiple disabilities.

Reports Linking SSRI’s with Autism Are Greatly Exaggerated

24 Dec 2015

The headline is scary: “Maternal exposure to anti-depressant SSRIs linked to autism in children.” The Washington Post asserted that a study published Monday provides the “strongest evidence yet” that antidepressants during pregnancy may be linked with autism spectrum disorders in children. A press release was less nuanced: “Taking antidepressants during pregnancy increases risk of autism by 87 percent.”

Twin with autism forms special bond with brother

06 Dec 2015

Shariff Williams was never supposed to be able to walk or speak, yet every weekend this fall he could be found on a football field dashing for a touchdown, as his twin brother and teammates cheered him on.