The Day a Detour Led to a Breakthrough

Not very long ago, one afternoon while Aarav and I were working on lace-board fine motor skills, my brain took a little detour: What if we tried stitching instead? It wasn’t exactly a well-thought-out plan—but curiosity won.

The next day, I pulled out some old clothes from the closet, grabbed an embroidery frame, and stretched a piece of fabric across it. Using a marker, I wrote “A, B, C…” with about a 2 cm gap between each letter. Then I threaded a needle and began stitching—from A to B, B to C—demonstrating each step slowly for Aarav to observe.

Once he had watched the flow and pace, I invited him to join. At first, we worked with the letters, which gave him clear visual targets. After some practice, I switched things up. I replaced the letters with small dots and started using a laser pointer to help him visually focus on each point before making a stitch.

That simple addition—a laser pointer providing strong visual support—made a huge difference. The motor work became easier for him when his eyes had a clear anchor. Over time, I began placing the dots closer together, reducing the distance between each stitch. Slowly, I phased out the laser pointer, and to my amazement, Aarav adapted beautifully.

Eventually, not only did he learn to stitch independently, but he also learned how to sew on a button—a task that once felt far out of reach.

What started as a simple daydream became a meaningful, skill-building journey for both of us.