Hyderabad: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may soon find public spaces in Hyderabad a little more accessible. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), working with several non-governmental organisations (NGO), is planning to install communication boards at prominent locations across the city to assist neurodiverse children in their daily interactions with public spaces.

On the occasion of World Autism Day observed on April 2 every year, the first such board was placed at the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) Park in Banjara Hills. It was inaugurated by Olympic medalist and badminton player Saina Nehwal, along with Special Chief Secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department Jayesh Ranjan and GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan on Thursday.

The communication board has various pictures and signs, which will not only help the children with ASD express their needs but also the parents and walkers in communicating with the child in a method easily understood by them.

This collaborative effort between GHMC and NGOs Avaz, Marham Resonating Resilience, CDC Talk and Learn and Koru Kidz aims to make play spaces more accessible and empowering for neuro-divergent children.

The communication board features carefully selected visual icons sourced from Avaz.com, a widely used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) platform. These icons enable children who have difficulty with verbal communication to express their needs, preferences and emotions, while engaging in outdoor play.

Speaking at the inauguration, Nehwal said, “Every child has the energy to do better and make a place for themselves in the world, and this initiative will make it a little easier for those with autism to communicate and find their spaces in society.”

By placing this tool in a community setting, the initiative takes a significant step toward normalising inclusive practices beyond clinical and educational environments. It also raises awareness among the public about diverse communication needs and fosters a more accepting, responsive society.

More such boards in the pipeline

Dr Nabat Lakhani from Marham told Siasat.com that a communication board will also be placed at Indira Park next week, and then at malls and the Hyderabad airport at Shamshabad.

She said the communication board placed at KBR Park was the first of its kind in India, after similar initiatives were implemented in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

There are a number of signs on the 6 ft x 3 ft board, which contain pictures and signs with prepositions, nouns, verbs and adjectives, through which the child can make a sentence to communicate.

For instance, the child can express thirst, hunger and tiredness, can say which direction he/she wants to go and also point to the public utilities like restrooms, canteen or something else available in the premises of the public space. The communication board can be customised as per the needs in that particular public space.

“The idea is to make them go out rather than confining them to their homes. We are trying to mix neuro-diverse (ASD children) and neuro-typical (so-called normal people) by creating a bridge, so that everyone can understand through the board what these children communicate,” said Dr Nabat, who is a gynecologist.

Dr Nabat, along with Dr Pratima Giri, a developmental pediatrician, and Prerna, a speech pathologist, was part of the initiative to design the communication board.

Vishal, a special educator at Happy Sunshine, the School of Autism and Child Development Center (CDC), termed it a good initiative, as ultimately all those serving and educating the children with ASD use communication methods like sign languages and picture exchange communication system (PECS), among others.

He felt such initiative could be extended to bus stops, supermarkets and the Metro as well.

“We will not let this initiative be one-time thing and will make sure it reaches more parks and malls and many other public spaces,” Jayesh Ranjan said at the event.

Meanwhile, Yashoda Hospital at Hitech City is hosting “Autism Stakeholder Summit- 2026” as part of “Autism Awareness Month” at its premises on August 11 and 12.