"Aleena, a student at Bubbles Centre for Autism was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome and joined Bubbles in June 2014 when she was 5 years old for a full day school program. When she joined Bubbles she was only exposed to her mother tongue – Malayalam, and she used to stutter while speaking in English. Aleena comes from a poor financial background (BPL). Her father (gardener) is suffering from a chronic illness is hospitalized and continues to be bed-ridden. Her mother runs a roadside food stall items such as dry snacks and cigarettes .After enrolling in the Bubbles scholarship program, she was trained in improving her speech, communication, work skills and behavior improved remarkably. Earlier, her mother was ignorant of Aleena’s growing capabilities in school and she was more keen to have Aleena help her rather than send her to school. However, after she saw Aleena’s performance on stage, she understood that Aleena can achieve much more if she is nurtured in the right direction."
Aleena