Providing lifespan services to individuals with special needs...
Strides Newsletter Archives
Academy of Teaching Excellence
Never Give Up!
From February 10 to 12, V-Excel’s premises were abuzz with serious discussions, important lectures and some life-changing experiences and moments. After weeks of planning and organising, it was time for the Continuous Rehabilitation (CRE) programme on Inclusive Education for Autism Spectrum Disorder. With 41 participants, several eminent speakers and resource persons, the CRE programme was a heady mix of great content and active participation.
The programme included sessions by Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Founder & Director of V-Excel on the topic of inclusion and ‘Adaptation of the Curriculum’; a lecture by Dr. Vijayalakshmi of NIEPMD (National Institute to Empower Persons with Multiple Disability) on 'Adaptation of Classroom Set Up in Inclusive Education' and a talk by Mallika Ganapathy of MIRRA, a centre that believes in creating an all-inclusive space for children to go beyond disabilities, on 'Teaching Strategies'.
In addition to these insightful talks, the programme also had interesting group and panel discussions, featuring Mangala Jeyachandran, who has been instrumental in setting up the inclusive section at Lady Andal School, and Mary Rajeswari, another pioneer of inclusive education at St. Ebbas School. Several parents shared their inspiring and heartfelt stories, though it was one sentence by Mr. Sundaresan, father of a 17-year-old autistic boy that stood out: “Do not give up on us”. And it was a fitting end to the successful programme as this is the intrinsic message of inclusion for professionals, organisations, parents and the community, to never give up.
Other News from ATE
Course on Care Giving
Apart from the CRE programme, ATE has been busy planning the 10-month course on 'Home Care of MR' (Mental Retardation). An MOU will be signed shortly with Billroth Hospital in R.A. Puram for practical training in nursing
Counseling & Assessments
Reader's Digest
If you walked into one of the Reading Club sessions every Saturday morning, don’t be surprised to find a group of special children absorbed in Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’! This unique initiative by the Counselling Unit was a result of their understanding that children do enjoy listening to stories. So this age appropriate book was chosen for some fun reading with action and songs. “The book was chosen as it had humour, humanity and a message, plus everyone’s favourite – chocolate!” added Parimal Pandit, Head of the C&A Unit. The session also includes some craft based on the story, so children have been busy making Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, Charlie’s grandfather’s cane and chocolate bowls!
Other News from C&A
Art Therapy
Last month, we talked about the Art Therapy sessions that were conducted for mothers of the Prevocational Junior class. The art therapy module of five sessions was concluded this month and it has been well received. To remind our readers, the session included movement called Eurythmy, followed by plant observation, art and then review. At the end of the session, it was observed that participants really got involved with the plant observations as the impact of that study was deep.
Training & More
One of the C&A counsellor’s attended the fifth module of the Biography course in Hyderabad, while another counsellor attended an advanced training in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Both training programmes were stimulating experiences for the counsellors and they plan to use their learning to train others at the Unit
Regulars
The corporate counselling sessions continued, mostly for stress due to interpersonal issues and problems among the younger population, and the feeling of disillusionment among the middle-aged. Art and play therapy for economically disadvantaged children also continued. As schools are heading towards their board exams, a lot of enquiries for counselling and assessments are coming in, with children buckling under pressure or being unable to cope with the syllabus.
Early Intervention
Chinese Connection
This drawing by Vithun probably says it all! He came from China for a three-week review programme on early intervention and the sessions impacted him so deeply that he ended up drawing all the staff he interacted with. "The intervention provided helped him both emotionally and functionally,” said Lalitha Sridhar, Coordinator of the EI Unit. "The boy has started attending regular school and keeps in touch with us through email," she added.
If his drawing wasn't feedback enough, he even wrote a letter: "Dear Lalitha Aunty, I miss everybody in the VXL centre who teached me. It is very fun staying here and also I cannot come here anymore so today is the last day I am staying here. You can talk to me by emailing me. Bye bye.”
Other News from EI
Training sessions over four weeks were conducted for the helpers in the unit by a special educator and a psychologist on handing children and understanding the basics of the early intervention programme. The programme for parents on hands-on training at home has commenced. A group programme to enhance gross motor play and fine motor play for children at the EI unit has also begun. This programme is being conducted by a certified therapist.. The social communication group is in progress once a week with two batches of 4-5 children attending the programme
Kaleidoscope Learning Center
Norse Code
“Norse mythology arises from the land of Norway and Sweden. The World Tree or the Yggdrasil (ig-dhra-sil) is a tree that has existed since the beginning of time. No one knows when it came into existence, but everyone fears the time when it will be destroyed. This tree is invisible to Men and it holds the nine different worlds according to the mythology,” explains Neha Bhalla, one of the teachers of Grade 4. All three sections of Grade 4 came up with their own textured Yggdrasil tree. Grade 4 C has just learnt about the tree and they are really coming into their hands by making each creature of the tree with clay. Grade 4 A and B have reached the end of their journey with the tree and it stands to be destroyed, which is the tragic end of the mythology. “This textured wall-tree serves a dual purpose of connecting to the curriculum as well as giving the children a chance to feast their five senses with natural materials. This is another form of sensory integration woven through the curriculum to help gain a more harmonious and balanced child,” added Neha.
Other News from KLC
Nature Walk
Two batches of ten children and four teachers went for their Nature Walk to the Guindy National Park. The Park’s history and spread of greenery, along with photographer, ‘Poochi’ Venket as a guide, made for an exciting two-hour walk! The Kindergarten children too had an outdoor break with their teachers at the ‘Semmozhi Poonga’, a park near the Gemini flyover, which was converted from a horticultural garden to a public park by the Tamil Nadu government.
Roman History
This month we had further proof of drama and speech working well with autistic children. Our Grade 6 students and Prevocational students moved the hexameter for the entire month as a part of the rhythmic work and speech work studying Roman history. On the last day of the block, teachers and students performed three short plays about how Rome was founded. Children participated well and some of them even repeated their dialogues!
Winner Takes All!
Chinmayee Ramanathan, Thulasi Raman and Divya, all students of KLC, won prizes in an inter-school cultural meet called Javate, organised by Lady Andal School, a first in the history of KLC. Chinmayee fought his autism to look deep into a stick which he held in his hand instead of the mike and sang ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles, accompanied by his teacher, Neha Bhalla, on the guitar. Thulasi played the Mridangam and Divya got the first prize for her painting of a garden. Congratulations to all the winners and other participants too!
Ground Beneath my Feet
The farming organised by the school in association with Nizhal – Friends of Trees, saw the children of Grades 4 A and B active and busy clearing, planting, watering and digging the soil at the park in Kotturpuram. Nizhal helps our children identify spots and the children get a real experience of hard work by using their hands to till the soil. Many children have commented on the therapeutic aspect of farming. Thank you Shobha Menon of Nizhal for giving our children this experience!
V-Excel Educational Trust
Flying High!
The Rotary Club of Madras East (RCME) and SpiceJet gave the gift of experience to 19 developmentally challenged children who have never been on an airplane before, and, given their socio-economic background, are not likely to be on one soon either. They flew the children to Madurai and back and provided that breathtaking view of the world from the skies.
Thanks to the efforts of Mr. T. Muthukumaran, past President of RCME, Mr. Sudhakaran, the current President of RCME, Rotarians Mr. S. Sudhir and Mr. S. S. Rajsekhar, these children benefited from this once-in-a-lifetime experience, one that most of us generally take for granted.
In fact, even for SpiceJet, this was a first-time experience of flying autistic children to a destination and back. Mr. R. Ranjeev, Deputy General Manager of SpiceJet, said, “It was the best experience I have ever had. I have been in the industry for 18 to 19 years now, and have interacted with most kinds of passengers, but the satisfaction I got when I flew with these children from V-Excel, I simply have no words to describe. I can say I feel like I have received the Life-time Achievement Award.”
The children, mostly those with Autism and Mental Retardation, flew to Madurai and back on the same day, with lunch and snacks provided during the day. The food provided adhered to the dietary requirements of the children. Along with five members of staff from V-Excel Educational Trust, the children visited the Gandhi Museum and Nayakar Mahal in Madurai, before they took the evening flight out to Chennai. Aparna S, Grade One Teacher at V-Excel, said, “We didn’t even feel like we were accompanying a group of special children. They knew how to behave in a public place, knew their boundaries well, and we did not have to deal with any sensory issues. They enjoyed Madurai and listened with interest to the guide’s explanation at Nayakar Mahal. And you should have seen the children’s faces when the flight actually took off. So much happiness and joy! It was a beautiful experience, really.”
Aparna’s sentiment is echoed by T. N. Elangovan, father of Akshayanathan, one of the students on the flight. “It was a dream come true for me and my family. His cheerful photos taken during the trip made us to cry in joy. Only the parent of a special child can understand the pain of taking such a child in a flight. When such a gesture was volunteered, we were thrilled and honoured. This gesture of SpiceJet gives us a lot of hope in society around us and creates a feeling that here is a world out there that also cares about us.”
Flying High in the press!
Also read this fantastic coverage of our cultural initiative Tarang in Better India!
Tarang in the press!
Occupational Therapy
Happenings at VRC
One of VRC’s students who joined the centre with severe learning difficulties one-and-a-half years ago has shown excellent progress after consistently attending the remedial programme since. He recently wrote the entrance exam for admissions into a much bigger school and cleared the exam on his own merit without any special considerations! A milestone for us and him, indeed!
Three assessments were completed – one child with learning difficulties and speech problems has begun attending remedial classes at the centre; for the second child, parents have been advised intensive remedial sessions on a daily basis with play therapy as the child has shown severe learning difficulty with behaviour and attention problems; and for the third child, parents have taken the report with our recommendations.
Apart from these, two new assessments have begun, five parents met for a discussion on assessment reports and progress review, one student from the vocational training unit and one from the EI unit were assessed, and remedial sessions for the second batch of children from Pudiyador have begun.
V-Excel Remedial Center
Happenings at VRC
One of VRC’s students who joined the centre with severe learning difficulties one-and-a-half years ago has shown excellent progress after consistently attending the remedial programme since. He recently wrote the entrance exam for admissions into a much bigger school and cleared the exam on his own merit without any special considerations! A milestone for us and him, indeed!
Three assessments were completed – one child with learning difficulties and speech problems has begun attending remedial classes at the centre; for the second child, parents have been advised intensive remedial sessions on a daily basis with play therapy as the child has shown severe learning difficulty with behaviour and attention problems; and for the third child, parents have taken the report with our recommendations.
Apart from these, two new assessments have begun, five parents met for a discussion on assessment reports and progress review, one student from the vocational training unit and one from the EI unit were assessed, and remedial sessions for the second batch of children from Pudiyador have begun.
Satellite Centers
Play for All
When Mr. Harinarayan Masand of Suryakiran Playsystems & Co. decided to donate multi-play equipment for the school at Nashik, we doubt if they could have predicted the reaction of the children at the centre. There were squeals of laughter, lots of excitement and jumping around as the children tried out their new slide, sea-saw and swing! "There was even a crawling tunnel built for the school, which the younger children especially enjoyed exploring. We thank Mr. Masand for this generous contribution and for bringing the joy of childhood so beautifully into the centre!
Other News from V-SAT
Nashik
The music therapy sessions every Wednesday and Friday by Hindustani vocalist Sneha has been a success with children thoroughly enjoying the music and swaying to the soulful rendition of classical ragas, such as Bhupaali and Megh Malhar.
A seminar on ‘Effective communication and its nuances’ by Maya Sanghi, the consultant speech therapist at Nashik, was conducted for teachers, therapists and parents.
Erode
A workshop for primary school teachers was conducted at the Erode centre. Around 14 teachers working with children in the age group of one-and-a-half years to four years from four different schools attended the programme. Training for the staff at the Erode centre on drafting IEP’S (Individualised Education Programme) for children was also conducted.
We also received a beautiful gift this month of a painting (seen above) made independently by a child attending early intervention at the centre!
Tirunelveli
At the Tirunelveli centre, the vocational training programme for young adults with special needs is progressing well and should be operational soon.
Solapur
At the Solapur centre, the hunt for a larger, more suitable space for a special school continues with new children joining the centre. If you would like to fund this project or help in any other way, write to info@v-excel.org.
Vocational Training / Youth Empowerment Services
Ship Shape
There is an innate fascination with anything to do with the Indian Navy and our trainees at VTU were no different. On February 5, trainees were taken on an experiential learning trip to the naval ship INS Vikrant & INS Delhi. Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier to be designed by the Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy and the first warship to be built by Cochin Shipyard. Trainees, along with their teachers, were taken around the ship to see the aviation facilities of the aircraft carrier and they quite enjoyed their climb in and out on the deck! They were left awestruck at the magnitude of the ship that held so many things, including navy charters and helicopters. They were served snacks onboard and treated extremely well by the naval officers and jawans, who were more than willing to help the trainees around.
Other News from VTU
Kaustubh – Youth Empowerment Services (YES)
Say YES to our new state-of-the-art vocational and life-skills training unit that became officially functional on February 20! Our trainees began by putting their newly acquired skills at gardening by working on the space outside. Trainees have also begun sessions on daily living, academics and other vocations such as baking, paper craft and front office duties.
Garden Tales
The gardening project that began last month has blossomed rather beautifully. Our students picked fresh greens to be used in the trainee kitchen and during the course of the month they were also able to harvest brinjals and tomatoes to make just enough sambar that was served for lunch one day!
Parents’ Day Out
VTU celebrated Valentine’s Day with a difference with a picnic organised for the parents of the trainees! A trip to the farmhouse with some fun and games and delicious food left the parents cheerful and rejuvenated. Some said they went back to their childhood days forgetting all their worries for those few hours.