Bengaluru Couple Turns Their Search for Autism Support Into a Foundation Helping 2000 Children

Akshadhaa Foundation is a Bengaluru organisation supporting autistic children and their families. It brings therapy, education and life-skills training together instead of separating services across different centres. This matters because families often need steady, coordinated support that continues over time.

Special educators, therapists and psychologists track each child’s progress. Children’s interests guide learning, while support changes according to their strengths and pace. Counselling also helps parents understand autism as a lifelong journey and support learning at home. Parents are treated as active participants, not observers.

The foundation began in 2012 with four children in a one-bedroom apartment. It now supports nearly 2,000 children and 3,200 families across Bengaluru. Its work also includes vocational training, supported work opportunities and plans for an assisted living community, extending support beyond childhood and therapy sessions.

Akshadhaa started in 2012 with just four children in a one-bedroom Bengaluru apartment. The small beginning reflected the founders’ own search for practical, trustworthy support after their daughter’s autism diagnosis. The foundation was built to offer continuity, collaboration and family involvement.

Today, Akshadhaa supports nearly 2,000 children and 3,200 families across the city. Its services bring together special education, therapy, psychology, life-skills training and counselling. Staff track children’s progress so support can develop over time rather than remain disconnected between visits or centres.

This growth shows a much wider need for coordinated autism support. Akshadhaa now also offers vocational training and supported work opportunities. Its planned assisted living community is designed for around 50 families, suggesting a next step: supporting autistic people and their families through adult life as well as childhood.

Sumana and Anirban Dutta began Akshadhaa after their daughter was diagnosed with autism at three and a half. They searched for support that understood both her needs and their family’s worries. Instead, Sumana found services scattered across centres, with long waits, high costs and little individual planning.

Sumana then trained in special education. She saw that children needed continuity, collaboration and family involvement. Therapists also needed to create an Individualised Education Plan and track progress. These experiences shaped Akshadhaa’s approach, which asks what works for each child rather than what is wrong.

The foundation began in 2012 with four children in the couple’s one-bedroom Bengaluru apartment. It has since grown to support nearly 2,000 children and 3,200 families. The same search for help also led to plans for vocational support and an assisted living community for the future.

When autism services are scattered, families must manage support across different centres and providers. Long waits can delay help, while high costs can make regular support difficult to sustain. The family may also need to repeat information and coordinate services on its own.

The lack of individual plans creates another problem. Without a clear plan or progress reports, families may not know which goals matter, what a child is learning or how support should change. Children can receive disconnected services instead of a continuous approach that follows their pace and strengths.

Sumana’s experience led her to train in special education and help create Akshadhaa. The foundation connects special educators, therapists and psychologists. They track progress and involve parents. This offers a more consistent path, while counselling helps families understand autism and support their child through everyday interactions at home.

An Individualised Education Plan gives support a clear direction for one child. It helps therapists and educators focus on the child’s needs, strengths, interests and individual pace. Progress can then be followed over time instead of being judged through disconnected sessions.

Akshadhaa uses a team of special educators, therapists and psychologists to track progress. Parents also take an active role. Since children spend most of their time at home, everyday interactions become part of learning and growth. Counselling helps parents understand autism as a lifelong journey and support their child at home.

This approach creates continuity between therapy, education and family life. A child’s interests guide learning, while support adapts when needs change. Families receive more than appointments; they gain a shared way to notice progress and build skills. That model can make support more consistent from childhood into later opportunities.

Vocational training gives autistic young people opportunities to develop work skills and take part in supported employment. It shifts attention from only childhood therapy toward adult goals, useful roles and continued growth. Work can also connect people with wider community settings.

Akshadhaa offers training and opportunities in retail, hospitality, packaging and corporate settings. Three young women with autism earn stipends: one is employed and two are apprentices. These examples show a pathway from learning to practical work, with support suited to each person’s abilities and pace.

The current opportunities remain limited to the examples described, but they point toward broader possibilities. Akshadhaa is also planning vocational units within its assisted living community. Combining work support with health, safety and continuing care could help autistic adults build more secure, meaningful daily lives while easing some family worries about the future.

Assisted living matters because autistic people may need support to remain safe and connected when parents can no longer provide daily care. The concern becomes especially urgent as children grow into adults. A long-term option can give families greater confidence that care will continue.

Anirban explored assisted living during a 2012 Fulbright scholarship visit to residential facilities in the United States. He recognised that the model needed adapting for India and making sustainable for families. Akshadhaa’s planned community will include therapy centres, vocational units, community spaces and a café.

The Bengaluru project is designed for around 50 families. Its pillars are health, safety and care that continues after parents are gone. A 30,000-square-foot engagement hub and nature-led setting are also planned. Together, these features aim to support daily life, meaningful connections and dignity beyond the years of parental care.