We are happy to announce the arrival of Higashi School in India. After Tokyo and Boston, New Delhi will be the third destination where Daily Life Therapy®, a method of educating autistic children devised by Dr Kiyo Kitahara, the founder of Higashi School, will be used. This educational institution, a result of Indo-Japanese collaboration, is a testament to the deep engagement between our two countries in the service of humanity.

Higashi Autism School (HAS)™, as it will be known in Delhi, is a vast facility that will be fully dedicated for the autistic children. HAS™ mission is to empower autistic children with skills to become productive members of our society, to bring pride to families where there is despair and fatigue. From this flows the structural arrangement of various departments, specialist teaching and parental guidance.

The objective is to raise every autistic child to the full potential of human development so that they achieve their sense of selfhood and inclusion. This will come through skilling in IT, vocational competence, communication aptitude and participation in competitive events, for example, in the field of Sports and Fine Arts.

For communication difficulties, a rigorous language-training program suitably buttressed by Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), will be implemented thereby giving the children and their families the wherewithal of self-confidence, self-esteem, social tendencies and independence. Although autistic characteristics never disappear in lifetime, under guidance of the unique pedagogy of the Higashi Education system, autistic children too can become achievers and performers. This gives joy and self-worth to parents who are overwhelmed by the unusual behaviors of autistic children and the disappointments of having missed the milestones of typically developing children.

We uphold dearly the ‘Knowledge of India’ traditions. The Sri Krishna temple on the School premises will benefit the children with prayers and Sanskrit mantra chanting. A Yoga curriculum specially designed – Integrated Approach to Yoga Therapy (IAYT) – is intended to balance the mind, body and values of the children and help them grow.

We look forward to raising the performance standards in the field of Autism services in India.