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NRI Starting a charity at 15? Meet the NRI generation taking action
Making A Real Autism Difference- RAD
A serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact

Los Angeles, June 15, 2018
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh Grewal

Autism spectrum disorder impacts the nervous system. There are more than 200,000 US cases per year.Treatment can help, but this condition can't be cured. Requires a medical diagnosis. Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong. Lab tests or imaging rarely required .

After identifying important issues close to her heart, this brave NRI young girl all took it upon herself to help others. We all know that she went through her own hardships, or saw others suffering from afar, she decided to act. With the help of all family members and friends, she started with small local projects, this young girl went on to form her own charity and organization on a national and even international scale. Her inspiring story proves that age is no barrier when it comes to doing good. NRI Experts give their advice on getting NRI young people involved in education, NRI Media, charitable activities and donations

RAD, Real Autism Difference, as a new charity organization was launched on April 28, 2018 in Las Vegas, NV. Radhika Shah is also launching a new chapter in California on August 25, 2018.  RAD will be fundraising and working with our community to help children with Autism get necessary care and services that can be hard to find. .......Gary Singh

Founder Radhika Shah was only 15 when she had the idea for RAD.

Her little brother, 18months her junior, is affected by severe Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Radhika recognized the challenges her family faced in finding child care, treatments and opportunities for social interaction for her brother, and she decided to do something about it.

On April 28th, instead of a traditional sweet-16 birthday party, Radhika held a launch party for her new charity organization, RAD.

HOW IT START:

Meet Radhika & Amar....I grew up with a younger brother with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder. We are only one and a half years apart, so I have always felt extremely close to him.   Initially, he was a remarkably high functioning child and was even able to do second grade math at the age of 4 years old.  We used to socialize and play together and were nearly inseparable.  When he turned five, everything changed for me and my family.   We took a cruise to the Western Caribbean and visited countries such as Belize and Guatemala. When we returned, my brother developed an extremely high fever for about a week, leading to a progressive decline in functioning.  Over the course of 1 month, he lost almost all of his abilities. He eventually lost his ability to speak, lost bowel and bladder control and developed severe anxiety.  He was hospitalized and despite undergoing every possible test and seeing every possible consultant, no one could explain what happened to him. For me, this was an overwhelming development as I lost my brother, my friend, and my playmate. My family was devastated as my parents tried to figure out what occurred and how we would work to get my brother back.  All of the doctors that treated my brother suggested intensive therapy to aim for recovery.  The challenge for us was actually finding the resources, therapies and treatment needed for my brother here in Southern Nevada.

From 2009 onwards, we contacted as many therapists, specialists and doctors as we could. Many doctors suggested medication to treat the severe anxiety that my brother developed.  This led to another obstacle.  My brother is different. He metabolizes the medication that he needs in a different way compared to everyone else. Because of this, we never know how he will react.  He has been on over twenty different medications to try to help him, but he reacts to everything and was unable to take medication. 

He developed akathisia (chemical torture to most medications) and watching him scream and cry every time he reacted was the most difficult experience for me. We spent no time as a family because my brother could not stay in the house due to his anxiety. He literally lived in the car as that was the only place where he was not anxious or crying. My parents spent most of those initial five years after the incident driving him around rather than spending time with us.  He could not even attend school regularly due to his condition.

We spent a lot of resources and time on intensive therapy and treatment.  We have seen some recovery of his function, but he was never able to fully reacquire his abilities.   The extreme lack of available resources in Southern Nevada for children with autism was a contributing factor in my brother’s inability to fully recoup his functioning. Seeing my family struggle through this process over the years led me to questioning what I could do to help my brother and other children like him.   I started researching other organizations and educated myself on what was available and what was lacking.  I started thinking about how I could make a Real Difference in the lives of children with Autism.  Over the past year, I have been working on organizing and establishing RAD, making a Real Autism Difference.  For my 16th birthday, I decided to launch RAD to start my journey in helping other children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.


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The needs of children with autism vary greatly from child to child, but thousands of kids right here in our community are denied access to care programs and social interaction programs due to their inability to be safe and well cared for in a traditional one-adult-to-multiplechildren childcare structure.
 
RAD plans on developing these services that will be available as affordable and inclusive programs for every child with autism, regardless of their special or unique needs:  After-school care  Day Camp  Summer Camp  Family friendly group activities - A chance to get out of the house and enjoy family time together and with community, all in a safe, open and understanding environment carefully planned with the needs of your child in mind.  Date Night - All the fun of our family activities, but just for kids! Staffed by qualified caregivers and volunteers, so parents can have a relaxing evening out with each other while kids play, interact and learn with their peers.
 
Your support can ensure that local children with autism have access to important social interaction programs that will help them learn and grow within their difficult diagnosis, all while helping families already burdened with astronomical medical costs by provided cost efficient care options.

RAD is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, federal tax ID # 52-2503954 www.RADLV.org   ~   (702) 463-6723 10624 S. Eastern Ave, #A-425 ~ Henderson ~ NV ~ 89052

 

 

 

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