Indian American teen launches charity for Autism Awareness

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Indian American Radhika Shah, from Las Vegas, Nevada will be opening a chapter of her non-profit ‘RAD,’ standing for Real Autism Difference, in California on Aug. 25.

RAD envisions a community where every child with autism has access to education, care, activities and medical resources necessary to lead a happy and fulfilled life.

The idea came to Shah when she was 15-years-old as her brother, who is 18 months younger than her, is affected by severe Autism Spectrum Disorder and since she knew challenges her family faced in finding care, treatments and opportunities for social interaction for her him, she decided to do something about it.

So, instead of a traditional sweet 16 birthday party, Shah held the launch party for her new charity organization, RAD, on April 28 this year.

“The extreme lack of available resources in southern Nevada for children with autism was a contributing factor in my brother’s inability to fully gain some 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,” Shah said in a press release.

Shah conducted a lot of research related to children with autism and even met with other organizations that are focused on her cause.

Shah believes that with the right services, treatments and care options, children with autism can lead happy and fulfilling lives.

Wanting RAD to make the necessary changes to make that vision come true, the organization has implemented several new programs in southern Nevada, including workshops to assist homeless families affected by autism, sensory gym open play and training workshops for families affected by autism, all of which Shah plans to expand in the future.