In the quiet world of words

Through creativity, resilience and determination, Aditi Sowmyanarayan is reshaping perceptions of autism and neurodiversity, proving that expression comes in many forms

Aditi Sowmyanarayan introduces herself the way she inhabits life — with warmth, humour and a storyteller’s ease. “Your friendly neighbourhood author and storyteller,” she says, as if inviting a stranger into a world she has long carried inside her head. 

At 20, Aditi is a young autistic adult whose imaginative universe, resilience, and quiet determination have already made her a writer, an advocate and an emerging voice in the neurodiversity space.

Aditi describes her childhood simply as “happy”, even though she sensed early on that she was different from the children around her. Words came easily to others while she struggled to get a syllable out. She often heard the word autism, but it was only around the age of eight that she was formally told she was autistic.

“There were times I wished it wasn’t the case,” she says. “But my family, especially my mother, never gave up. What makes me different is what makes me unique — that understanding came much later.” 

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disability with persistent difficulties with social communication/interaction and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities. 

Much of her early life unfolded in silence, observing everything but unable to express herself. That inner world, rich with characters and colour, became her refuge — and later, her creative wellspring.

Finding her voice 

School brought mixed experiences: the joy of belonging, her first performance on stage, her first school picnic. But it also brought a persistent underestimation of her abilities. “People assumed I didn’t understand because I couldn’t demonstrate learning in the expected way,” she says.

Her turning point came with technology at Ishanya India Foundation. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools like Avaz helped her communicate while learning to type opened a path to writing, and to the world. Her inner stories found their way onto the page. “Success builds confidence,” she says simply — and she has gathered successes steadily since then.

She credits her mother as her fiercest supporter, and her educators Shaheli Mukherjee and Varsha Ramdas as those who believed in her and gently pushed her boundaries. "If someone is sceptical about me, it just means I have arrived," Aditi adds wryly.

Aditi writes content regularly for Avaz, Sol’s Arc and India Autism Centre, creates social media material for Reframing Disability, and runs webinars on autism, and augmentative and alternative communication advocacy. She serves on the Global Steering Committee of the Institute of Neurodiversity.

Her presence, says Chitra Paul, co-founder and director of Allinclusive Foundation, Bengaluru, has helped challenge long-held assumptions. “I believe Aditi’s contribution — and that of other non-speaking young adults like her — is that they have forced professionals and families to rethink their understanding of autism. That understanding continues to be flawed, but what these youngsters have done is dent the myth of equating non-speaking with intellectual disability,” Paul says. She has edited Talking Fingers, a book to which Aditi contributed — a compilation of 16 non-speaking writers responding to 20 questions to capture the world as they see it.

In the midst of all this, Aditi is working on her next novel — Feet on Ground, Head in the Air — now with a publisher.

Fiction is her passion. Her protagonists are rarely autistic, and her stories do not revolve around autism. “Writers with diabetes don’t necessarily create diabetic characters — so why should it be different for me?” she asks.

A structured life, a steady rhythm

Her days begin with a morning walk, followed by writing or advocacy work. After lunch, she studies with her educator. Once a week, she attends cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to manage severe social anxiety. Weekends are for rest, outings or binge-watching something light. Structure comforts her, and loops of familiar songs help her “bring senses back to status quo.”

Recently, something small filled her with pride: she placed her own order at a café using her AAC app. “A hard-earned victory,” she says — a reminder that independence is built in increments. Extreme difficulties in social interaction are a core characteristic of autism. 

Aditi’s advocacy carries a clear message: see the person, not the diagnosis. Don’t reduce autistic people to assumptions — whether limiting stereotypes or sweeping dismissals of intellectual ability.

“Have an open mind,” she says. “Help us build on our strengths while accommodating our challenges. And remember, disability doesn’t make anyone less worthy of autonomy or a fulfilling life.” 

Friendships, to her, are defined by the freedom to express herself without fear of judgment. Shared spaces, where everyone moves to their own rhythm, comfort her more than noisy socialising.

“I have had a great time talking with Aditi on multiple occasions, and this only makes it a good basis for collaboration,” says Tarun Paul, co-author of Talking Fingers. Aditi and Tarun, along with another adult autistic Aniket, started Silent Expressions, a WhatsApp group under the Institute of Neurodiversity’s India chapter to create opportunities for interaction among young autistic people.

Dreams ahead

Aditi hopes to become a bestselling author, live among people she loves and travel widely. She knows stigma exists but says she is “inoculated” by now — another line delivered with her signature dry humour. Still, it is the reason she continues her advocacy: in the hope of reshaping how society perceives autism.

“If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will,” she tells other autistic young people. Self-pity and bitterness, she cautions, are traps. She chooses instead to carry on — witty, clear-eyed and determined — with stories to tell, a community behind her, and a strong sense of who she is: a writer, a dreamer and someone who keeps her feet on the ground and her head in the air.