When we first met Sarthak* in November 2025, he was eight years old and in Grade 2. We remember seeing him sitting on his teacher’s chair with both legs up, his shirt untucked, tear stains on his face, and demanding her phone. We came to know Sarthak through our work as Social Work Fellows with Brain Bristle, a Mumbai-based non-profit working to advance autism inclusion and equitable education for children in low-income schools. The Fellowship places selected Master’s students of psychology with specialised training in under-resourced schools across Mumbai. The Fellows work to address systemic gaps and help children learn…
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Vaibhavi Tikariya is a Clinical Psychology student and Social Work Fellow with Brain Bristle, working with neurodivergent children in an under-resourced BMC school in Chembur. Her work uses neurodiversity affirming pedagogy alongside individualised teaching, behavioural support, assessment, multisensory learning, and classroom adaptations to make learning more accessible and inclusive.