Abled Tales by Kashmira Adil Kakalia. Published in 2025 by Notion Press. Media Pvt Ltd, #7, Red Cross Road, Egmore, Madras 600008; website: https://notionpress.com; email: publish@notionpress.com. Pp: 169. Price: Rs 449.
Kashmira Adil Kakalia’s interest in education and her love for children was sparked by a vacation job at an institute for children during her college days. In her words, "Kids are the most lovable, gullible and moldable.” The book, Abled Tales, narrates case studies of individuals with special needs with whom she has interacted over a span of three decades. To protect the identity of these individuals Kakalia has used fictional names and changed some details in her narration. The case studies underline the importance of working not only with the child but also with the parents, teachers and significant others in the child’s world. The book talks about the deep societal stigma associated with issues concerning mental health and denial by most parents that further compounds problems which children with special needs face.
These case studies cover conditions such as dyslexia, slow learning, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety and trauma that can be treated with appropriate therapy, individualized education plans (IEPs), motivation, positive feedback and the love and understanding from a supportive environment. Kakalia offers practical tips such as setting up a buddy system in class where a special student is paired with a classmate from whom he/she receives academic, social and emotional support. This is a win-win system that teaches compassion and empathy to the student that is offering the help.
Kashmira Kakalia: rapport building
In the chapter "Our Language — Our Words Matter” the author provides a table with two columns. The first column carries familiar but disrespectful ways of addressing children often employed by teachers or parents. In the second column are listed respectful alternatives that convey the message much more effectively. For example, "Useless, dumb girl, you moron” is inappropriate. The better approach would be: "From your question, I understand that you have not understood this topic. Would you like me to explain this again?”
Kakalia lists the steps of working with clients that begin with rapport building and highlights the importance of confidentiality in making the client trust in her abilities. At the end of each chapter, she offers reflective questions for readers to draw their own lessons from the shared case studies. Kakalia credits her hands-on classroom experience for her patient and non-judgmental attitude towards her clients in particular and others in general. The book ends with testimonials from a number of grateful clients who have reaped the benefit of sessions with her.
Kakalia’s credibility in this sphere comes from her years of work in a school set-up which later led to private practice catering to both children and adults. A proponent of narrative therapy, Kakalia helps her clients develop an understanding of their skills and values thus enabling them to overcome their real or perceived difficulties, leading to a change in their perception as well as personality. She uses a multi-sensory approach as part of her treatment regimen, integrating yoga, mindfulness and breathing techniques. A believer in the power of affirmations for mental well-being, she asks the reader to practice saying at least three affirmations daily, such as, "I am strong. I am brave. I believe in myself. I am capable. I love and accept myself.”
The author has established a mental health enrichment program for senior citizens in her neighborhood to help mitigate their social isolation and cognitive as well as physical decline.
Kakalia also mentions that her daughter Urveez, a trained psychotherapist, has founded ImPerfect, an online space to deal with mental health matters. Along with a team of therapists, the mother-daughter duo provides mental health services to children and adults through this platform. "ImPerfect is dedicated to providing ethical, relevant, theoretically guided and empirically driven mental health services,” says Kakalia.
In this age of knowledge, one can quite easily learn about mental health matters from social media or from well-researched studies and academic writing. Even though the writing is sketchy, the subject of Kakalia’s book is significant. Her case studies reveal her passion for enabling the disabled to become abled. It’s heartening to read about the success of individuals who have conquered their difficulties to lead fulfilled lives. Through Abled Tales, Kakalia makes a sincere effort to "share the power of resilience, spread awareness and create an inclusive environment in society.” ZARIN VIRJI
Virji is an educator and a writer who dabbles in poetry, short stories and fiction for middle grade readers. Her reading favorites are detective stories and crime thrillers.