In the hands that care

SANKALP, A learning centre for mainstream children who have difficulty in learning as well as children with autism and related disorders, organised a week long workshop titled ``Primary Care Giver''. This was intended to benefit parents of children with special needs and special educators in this discipline.

This centre is sponsored by Jeevan Jyothi Trust, which is concerned with the social, economic rehabilitation of children with disadvantages. Unlike conventional schools, this centre has envisaged a learning programme for children keeping in mind contemporary societal needs. They have listed four participative components for children and parents:

a) Preschool children will be taught basic life skills in communication, personal hygiene and group behaviour.

b) Remedial instruction for children with learning disability.

c) Awareness programmes for parents and children.

d) Programme on special learning skills for young children.

Sankalp is housed in a 2100 sq.ft. premises in Anna Nagar. Upon entering the school, the first impression is one of normal, happy activity. Children involved in play are watched over by the educators at Sankalp with loving care. Founders Subhashini Rao (administrator), Lakshmi Krishnakumar (psychologist), Sulatha Ajith (special educator), shared their experience at Sankalp, which was established in 1999 with the objective of supporting children with special learning needs. All of them have had eight years of experience and have also extended their concern for children with autism.

Autistic children, due to neurological impairment, are unable to communicate and consequently cannot socialise, while children with learning disabilities can socialise to an extent.

As the children darted in and out of the rooms, they seemed no different from the mainstream children. Only child educators and parents with a discerning eye, can identify the disorders which ultimately spell the overall message ``you do not belong'' to these youngsters. Sankalp, determined to convey the message ``you belong'' to these disadvantaged children, has set itself the task of showing the world that these children ``can do'', rather than dwell on what they cannot do.

The six-day workshop held from September 8 to 14 aimed to familiarise special educators, teachers and parents with the methodology of handling children with autism. The importance of early intervention, communication, play skills, behavioural management, teaching management and integration with the mainstream children was emphasised during the course of this workshop. During the six days the participants had the opportunity to learn from practical experience as well as lectures.

Autism Spectrum Discover is a complex problem, as this condition manifests itself very slowly and often remains invisible; awareness happens over a period of time and when it does, it is not always uniform with all the are givers in the family. Since it is possible to be confused by the various approaches to the treatment of this condition, parents are baffled as they find that their child does not fit into any educational establishment, special or regular. The Institute for Remedial Intervention Services (IRIS) has developed a pilot training programme for primary care givers of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The project TRAIN is a result of the feedback received from their trained caregivers. The six days training covered the nature and needs of autism, characteristics, play stimulation, communication, assessment, positive behavioural support and teaching strategies.

Ably organised by Mythili Chari, the facilitator from IRIS, the workshop equips the care givers to approach their task with better understanding and greater efficiency. After 15 hours of on-site training and eight hours of theory, they are likely to handle the children with greater success. The two vital requirements for success in this field are the knowledge of the facilities available and the competency of the teacher.

During the workshops, specially designed toys, which were bright, colourful, with touch-sensitive shapes were displayed. These were meant to improve basic motor skills of children and inform the participants of the existing variety of teacher-aids. The main measure of success of such workshops would be the number of autistic children who can readily be integrated in regular schools. This can happen only over a period of time as the children in Sankalp today belong to the very young age group (between 3 and 10 years). Some of their children have been successfully integrated in regular schools but some others have had problems and need greater attention and further monitoring.

Future projections of Sankalp seem impressive. They hope to increase the strength of the centre, acquire their own premises, and tie up with an international partner for advanced know-how. They also intend to concentrate on training programs for staff to assist and establish new centres for special children.

The commitment of the Sankalp founders and staff, the involvement of IRIS facilitator Mythili Chari, augur well for the future of these children. Their parents can be reassured that they have in Sankalp, an institution, which cares deeply about the mental and physical well-being of their children.

PREMA SRINIVASAN

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