Feature Story - Gopika Kapoor (A Neurodivergent Educator & Parent Advocate)

03/24/2023

After her son was diagnosed with autism in 2008, Gopika Kapoor began working with the autism intervention team at Ummeed Child Development Center in Mumbai, a non-governmental organization working with children with developmental disabilities. Spending the next 10 years as a therapist and trainer, she then decided to write Beyond the Blue: Love, Life and Autism to help Indian families with autistic children learn about living with the condition and look forward to the future with hope.

Gopika also hosted Beyond the Blue Chats on her social media, where she discussed different aspects of neurodiversity. With time, she realised that services for neurodivergent adults were very few. She started writing and speaking on the subject, and joined Rangam to help corporate organisations understand how to help their neurodivergent employees to not just survive, but thrive within their workplaces.

Currently, Gopika works as a consultant with Rangam, as well as with NAMASTE, a research and capacity development programme implemented by Sangath, University of Manchester, and other institutions in India, the UK, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. She is also, associated with ConnexLearn, a Canada-based learning platform that promotes learning in Behaviour Analysis. Gopika also speaks on autism and inclusion at schools, colleges, clubs, and corporate organisations.