CHARLOTTE — Dhruv Aggarwal’s English teach, Kim Tuttle, says the 11th grader is a teacher’s dream.
“He’s gonna be the one to cure cancer,” Tuttle said.
The Levine Middle College High School student is already accomplishing big things, like authoring a children’s book that teaches what it’s like to be autistic — a personal journey to Aggarwal who is on the spectrum himself.
The book is about a young boy, named Arjun, navigating his first day of kindergarten as a kid with autism. Aggarwal says the main character is “kind of” based on himself.
“These kids who are on the spectrum, they can be normal just like anybody else, and they can do whatever things that any other person can,” he told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis.
Aggarwal was inspired to write the book after spending time with other young people on the spectrum through his family and volunteer work.
“I can actually do something to, like, help these kids,” he said.
Tuttle says it’s important for kids on the spectrum to have representation in characters, like Arjun.
“We don’t talk about autism as much as we should,” she said. “He is proud of this. I tell him, it’s a superpower. It is a gift that God has blessed him with, and he needs to shine and let everyone else see it.”
Proceeds from the book are going to another one of Aggarwal’s projects. He’s developing a wearable device that records biometrics, like temperature and heart rate, to alert a trusted adult when a child who is autistic is having a meltdown. That way, it isn’t mistaken for a tantrum.
Helping others understand how to support young people like himself is important to Aggarwal, and he’s just getting started.
“This kid is going to go somewhere,” Tuttle said. “He’s pretty phenomenal.”