Strides Newsletter Archives
- Counseling & Assessments
- Early Intervention
- Kaleidoscope Learning Center
- V-Excel Educational Trust
- Occupational Therapy
- V-Excel Remedial Center
- Satellite Centers
- Vocational Training / Youth Empowerment Services
Counseling & Assessments
From Parimal Pandit's Desk
It looked like a month full of activities!
The main story - It's rating time:
One day after an art therapy session an eighteen year old Akshay Nathan a student of KLC surprised the therapist by saying he wanted to rate the session, kind of self rating. What came was an extremely astute and insightful professional rating of how he was before and after the session. The categories and scale was also devised by him.
Before | After | |
Stress | 6 | 2.5 ( 2 is because I want to paint, 0.5 - my expectation to amaze Puji) |
Noise sensitivity | 10 (200%) | 1.43 (1- environmental sound, 0.43 - the keyboard) |
Touch sensitivity | 7.5 | 0.19 (for being in the spectrum!) |
Anger | 9 | 2 |
Work enthusiasm | 1 | 8.79 ( variable as its teacher specific) |
Episode of violence reduced by 77% after I started. Main lesson and play therapy also helped in anger management. I have learnt how to hold a brush and understand up, down, foreground and background in my daily life because of brush exercises. Right now I feel renewed energy after painting and music. I request rating scales every therapy session.
Two Weeks Later:
Before | After | |
Stress | 6 | 0 |
Noise sensitivity | 9 | 1 |
Touch sensitivity | 3 | 0 |
Anger | 3 | 0 |
Work enthusiasm | 6 | 7 ( as some part of me still wants to be here) |
Violence | 5 | 1 |
Joy | 7 | 10 |
Soul mood is hopeful and peaceful
Body and soul connect is good
Spirit body connect slightly better
Spirit permeated till the waist, hands (39%), fingers (2%), feet (30%)
Charcoal work makes me feel very focussed and warm. Painting makes me feel relaxed and free. Both are very helpful. The space makes all the difference. With you I feel I have control over my limbs. Without you I'm lost. With you in another space it depends. If the space is too overwhelming, I'm gone. ( He was very specific about the rating and the decimal points)
It was a very spontaneous yet very accurate observation of oneself. This is the kind of research is needed to be brought out to the world where the numbers are not just numbers but a true assessment of how certain therapies work. And it comes out of purity of intent.
Other updates
VACC- This month we had a counsellor join our department . She would be with us on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. We have restarted some of our VRC sessions. This month we had a steady stream of consultations and the consultations were carried out by three counsellors. Some have come admission , some for remedial and some for just consultation. Two assessments were done two reports needed to be given to schools.
We had two new counselling cases. Three counselling desks which were full. We saw one follow up from the desk. We continued having sessions with our older clients. Individual play therapies and counselling for children continued. One of the parent has asked for counselling over phone that has been arranged with the mutual convenient time. Two psychologists were part of two modules of training the teachers of KJI and sessions done were well received. Puja our art/music therapist was part of the blue blue sky choir where the children performed at IHM. We all filled our self rating forms for the year end rating. We had been reading "Human Soul" by Karl Konig as text and we had three sessions of the reading .
KLC - The regular group play therapy sessions for classes continued along with the play practice. The individual sessions with 10 children in terms of play, art or music continued with the counsellors, therapists and the students of TISS . The children seems to be making good progress. We need the support of the parents to sustain the behaviours at home. We had a couple of emergency sessions with some of the children. One of the child has been receiving art, music therapy every day for half an hour as its a critical condition. The teachers were met for curriculum development and individual personal reasons by the counsellors regularly. The German volunteers were also met by the counsellors.
YES - The 3 individual trainees were met by two counsellors for art, music and counselling. One parent was met. Puja has been going every week for play practice to YES the trainees really are enjoying the process. A lot seems to be changing as they are engaged in drama and music. One adult was met for admission to YES for his suitability. He requires individual counselling to overcome his own obsessive beliefs and certain behaviour.
VRC - We have restarted play therapy for two of the students and started group play therapy for two students. The TISS volunteers have been undertaking some of the sessions. The regular sessions for three students continued. Our sessions at Olcott with our counsellor continued.
Early Intervention
From Lalitha Sridhar's Desk
Keys to Developmental Movement Needs
A developmental assessment is not a measure of skills or a test of abilities, rather look at the interrelated areas of development listed below. These areas represent a child's capacities or readiness for learning.
No. | Need / Observations | Learning Implications |
1 | Touch Sense Avoids physical contact, or seeks excessive contact. Trouble waiting in line, dislikes loud noises or crunchy food, etc. Can’t imitate. Touch Sense disturbed. |
May have trouble connecting to others (including teacher!) Listening (attention) problems, under-or over-activity |
2 | Movement Sense Clumsy, heavy in movements. Self-Movement Sense (Proprioception) needs strengthening. |
This key is similar to Fine Motor Control but includes gross motor…. A more pervasive mood. |
3 | Balance Sense Falls, dizziness, headaches, dislikes movement; or the opposite, always spinning. Balance Sense may need strengthening. |
Connected to the Hearing Sense. |
4 | Timing and Rhythm Difficulty singing a rhyme, marching or clapping with a tune. |
May also have monotone speech, hearing / attention problems, and reading delay. |
5 | Direction and Goal Confuses directions, struggles with "Simon Says" type games, and contorts body while writing. Movement sense weak or disorganized, not able to support reading and writing. |
Reading delays (i.e. can't follow the flow and direction of words) Clumsiness may become a social issue. |
6 | Spatial Orientation Can't draw simple forms in the air, or walk them; difficulty with forms drawn on back game. Letter, number reversals. Spatial Orientation is weak; inner awareness of form and of self in space. |
Will have difficulty with recognizing and forming the shapes that are letters and numbers. |
7 | Sequencing Can't remember the days of the week or months of year in order, or numbers 1 to 10, etc. Difficulty with hand clapping games. Sequencing needs development – facility with putting things in order. |
Spelling problems; possible math problems. |
8 | Fine Motor Control Difficulty holding crayon or pencil; Speech problems; messy writing or drawing. Jumpy eye-tracking. Fine motor control for school-age tasks is not yet present. |
Speech, reading and writing problems. |
9 | Laterality Mixture of hand, eye, ear and foot use, e.g. in picking up and using an imaginary telescope, uses two hands, or different hand and eye. Laterality is mixed or undecided. |
This may be merely a delay of a milestone that should be reached by age 7, or a longer term pattern. Processing for so-called left-brain activities will be less harmonious. |
10 | Horizontal Midline Barrier Writes bottom up; can't jump through a hoop or bend at waist. Horizontal Midline Barrier may still be present – incomplete relationship to above/below. |
Internal movement not yet fully organized for reading and writing. This is normal to some degree up until age 7. |
11 | Vertical Midline Barrier Places paper to one side, or twists torso; difficulty with ball bouncing games. Vertical Midline Barrier may still be present – incomplete relationship to left/right. |
Internal movement not yet fully organized for reading and writing. This is normal to some degree up until age 9. |
12 | Imitation Inattentive, disconnected, not able to follow and imitate. Student has been over-intellectualized and not given enough imitation activities. |
Imitation in childhood is the foundation for learning in early grades. |
13 | Retained Reflexes Falls out of chair; contorts body; doesn't crawl cross laterally; reading problems after age 8. Reflexes that were appropriate for an infant or toddler are still in the driver’s seat. |
Some children with these can "out-think" them but may be tense because of the effort; others will have learning delays. |
Kaleidoscope Learning Center
From Gita Bhalla's Desk
The month began on a high note. Plans for Annual day were finalised and V-Excel will be performing "Lion King" the famous Broadway Musical on the 9 of April 2017. Please mark your calendars. Meetings, plans and schedules drawn up, roles assigned and again the Sharda building reverberates with the sound of Hakuna matata every afternoon !
February 1 and 2nd we were visited by Katherine Lehman a faculty member from Ira Institute of Learning. She observed and mentored the IRA teachers and later addressed the teachers on how to enhance the main lesson in every class.
On 4th February, a few of our students participated in inter-school competitions in Javate 2017, conducted by Lady Andal School and came away with prizes in all the competitions they participated in. Rokith in Indian Music got 3rd Prize, Abhishek – in Art Competition got 2nd Prize, , Chinmay – Western Music got 1st Prize, Chandra, Aaqila and Rekha - in Group Dance got 2nd Prize.
On 9th February Rekha and Aravind Karthik from KLC, went with Vasanthi , our very competent kitchen in charge and teacher, Babita, to Institute of Hotel Management during the cooking competitions and demonstrated their skills in cooking Aval Usili and Chickpeas Tikki respectively from scratch to finish independently, to the jury, guests and students. They impressed the audience with their independence. Thank you Vasanthi for teaching them so well. Thank you Charu for getting us this opportunity to showcase our student's skills.
Sunday, 12th February, Blue Blue Sky Choir performed at Institute of Hotel Management during their Alumni meeting, from 6.40 pm to 7 pm. The children waited more than an hour patiently for the programme to start. Some songs were related to food too and the students of the Institute enjoyed and appreciated the children singing. The children got a gift from the alumni of the Institute - a school bag each. Simple dinner was served and then we returned to school at 8.20 pm by van where the parents were waiting. It was an enjoyable evening for the children.
On 13th Grade 7 who are doing Rennaisance as their main lesson went to meet and see the artisans working on stone sculpturing in Mylapore. they showed them how the stones were selected and how they work on it to bring out the form.
Grade 5 and 6 are both doing a Botany Block and learning about Monocots and Dicots. In relation to this all the students and teachers went on a nature walk to the Police Quarters nearby where they observed the plants, nature and picked out things from nature. Students picked out seeds, leaves, small flowering plants and presented it to the group. Neha explained the difference between the two kinds of plants.
The last day of the month was again a busy one when the blue blue sky performed in Hexaware office . The choir had a full day out and spent time in the office premises. The sang, they conquered and enjoyed the lunch which was especially made for them.
V-Excel Educational Trust
Velukkudi Swami's Visit
We were honoured to have Velukkudi Sri U. Ve. Krishnan Swami visit our premises at Sharada yesterday. He spent time with parents and staff and was shown around the center. He addressed a small audience on the responsibilities that come with taking up the cause for people with special needs.
Javate
The Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao School organized a cultural program called ‘JAVATE’ for children with special needs. This was being held today and children were given an opportunity to participate in dance, music, drawing, painting, fancy dress and a talent show. This was the third year in a row that V-Excel participated in the event. Our student Chinmay Vaidyanathan won first place in Western solo for his rendition of "I want to break free". Rokith participated in the Indian vocal solo category and sang "Shyamale Meenakshi" Abhi Sanyal won third prize in the art competition for his portrait of "A Striving Human Being" which was represented by mountains and people climbing them. In the group dance category, Aaqila, Chandra and Rekha won second place for performing Nila Kaigirathu.
Indian Achiever's Award
At the 42nd National Seminar on "Make in India: Prospects and Opportunities" hosted by the India Achievers' Forum and held in New Delhi today, Dr. Vasudha Prakash was conferred the Indian Achievers' Award for Education Excellence.
Blue Sky Choir Performance
On Sunday, 12th February, the Blue Blue Sky Choir performed at Insitutue of Hotel Management during their Alumni meeting. Some songs were related to food and the students of the Insititute enjoyed and appreciated the children singing. The children got a gift from the alumni of the Institute - a school bag each. It was an enjoyable evening for the children.
Tarang in Chennai
This month's Tarang featured a Carnatic vocal concert by Ranjani Sivakumar accompanied bu Pappu Gyandev on the violin and Burra Sriram on the mridangam.
World CSR Congress Award
The Jury and Council of Board Members of the World CSR Congress awarded V-Excel with a "Certificate of Merit" at the World CSR Congress & Awards held at Taj Land's End, Bandra, Mumbai, yesterday. Our Executive Director, Mrs. Ajita Panshikar, was in Mumbai to receive the award.
Occupational Therapy
Happenings
Obese children, like adults, often present with a number of musculoskeletal signs and symptoms that may limit their time spent in physical activity.
The body mass index(BMI) a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of an individual. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in meters. The BMI is an attempt to quantify the amount of tissue mass (muscle, fat, and bone) in an individual, and then categorise that person as underweight,normal weight,overweight, or obese based on that value.
Benefits of Weight Loss for the children and adolescents
Childhood
Even at a young age, regular exercise helps control body weight, reduces blood pressure, encourages “good” HDL cholesterol and creates healthy bones, muscles and joints. On a psychological level, exercise for kids promotes self-confidence, readiness to learn and healthy sleep patterns. Health organizations such as the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend that children partake in at least an hour of physical activity per day. Although exercise for children need not be regimented in the same fashion as exercise for adults, these organizations recommend moderate to vigorous physical activity, including kid-friendly activities such as bike riding, jumping rope, dancing and competitive sports.
Adulthood
Unlike children, adults benefit from a structured combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training, each of which comes with its own share of perks. Cardiovascular exercises, such as running, jogging, martial arts or step aerobics, help improve cardio respiratory function and oxygen consumption, increase blood flow and supply, burn calories, lower the heart rate and encourage “good” cholesterol. Strength-training exercises, such as lifting weights or performing body-weight exercises, build muscle strength, improve flexibility, encourage lean muscle mass and improve balance.
Being obese is detrimental to gross motor skill performance, for example in upper and lower limb coordination, balance, running speed and agility, and strength.These differences become more pronounced as children get older, suggesting the need for early focus on motor skill development to encourage overweight and obese children to be physically active.
We have started weight loss program for the children of KLC three children are in the program. The children are showing good interest and progress. The weight check is done on regular period of time and been monitored.
V-Excel Remedial Center
From Kejal Bakshi's Desk
At V-excel Remedial centre, how to teach 'concept of Multiplication' to my child was the thought running in the mothers mind. Kejal Bakshi then, conducted a session with the mother and the child and taught the mother how to "Move Math" and ways to include movements, practical experiences in teaching. The session went off very well. The mother and the child were very happy. The mother was very thankful and said, Amritashree enjoyed the session and was able to relate to every word even when practiced at home.
At Malathi Matriculation School, Parent teachers meeting was a great success. We met 16 parents and all had lots to say about their child’s improvement and behaviour change at home. The classroom teachers to interact with the special educators to know more about the child and the strategies to teach them concepts.
At, Velachery Primary school, we are able to see progress in each child. We had a meeting with Ms. Uma and Ms. Monisha from Nalandaway. The meeting was very fruitful.
Satellite Centers
From Jayanthi Vishwanath's Desk
From Jayanthi Vishwanath's Desk
We are into the Final term of the School Academic year. The implementation of the IEP with fresher perspectives has begun this month. The teachers are striving hard to help the children attain their Academic and ADL goals.
Two children from The Early Intervention classroom, Master Samrat Bhalerao and Master Vihaan Srivastav are being trained under "school-readiness program" to help them to be accommodated in a mainstream school in June 2017. Both these children had joined the Early Intervention program in Jan 2016.
A General Parent-meeting was conducted this month. Mrs. Uma Suri, a professional healer addressed the parents on Pranic healing.
The trainees from VTU were taken to a Flower-show at a club in Nashik. The trainees enjoyed seeing the spectacular varieties of about 20000 types of flowers. Thereafter, a picnic lunch was arranged for them in the premises of the club.
From Gopal Jahagirdar in Solapur
1. Sri. Dilip Kulkarni visited the center from 31st January to 2nd February and he checked all the expense vouchers and met Mr.& Mrs. Gavande and discussed about the new building.
2. Mrs. Jayanthi Vishwanath visited our center from 9th February to 11th February and she checked daily reports of all students and also progress of remedial students. She met 8 parents separately and adviced them about the importance of therapy and remedial teaching for special students.
3. She also met with Mrs. Gavande and discussed about the new permanent building and the vocational and residential projects
4. One new child Suryanshu (Autistic) child has started coming for therapy and remedial services from this month
5. Gardening activity for vocational program was started from this month
6. We started training Assistant Teachers in the basics of special children and teaching methods
7. In December Mrs. Sunita Vaidya and Sri. Patil gave lectures on the reasons and characteristics of Mental Retardation and Cerebral Palsy
From Lalitha Sridhar in Erode
V-Excel Educational Trust, Erode has shifted to a bigger new premises. The new centre will have Early Intervention programme, Vocational programme, Special School programme and Remedial programme for children going to regular school. Assessments are going on to group the children according to the needs and the programme will commence from June 2017.
From Lalitha Sridhar in Tirunelveli
Yoga and Physical education for children above the age of 10 years has commenced from this term. The aim of this programme is to help children achieve good physical health, improved focus and attention, reduce behaviour issues and improve social communication. Based on the needs it is given as individual or group programme.
From Abhyasa Kendra - Srirangam
On February 4th, there was a talk on the Stress Management, which was handled by a psychologist from Srimad Andavar college of Arts and Acience. The handling faculty Ms. Subila was interactive and made the session very interesting. Parents of our trainees were also invited for this talk. We used this occasion to display and put on sale the kitchen products we make at our centre. These products included different flavours of powders, ready-made batter for dosa varieties, few products made by the arts and crafts unit and so on. The stall saw a sale of Rs. 1000 on that day.
We are indeed proud to say that within a month after the millet food products training program that was organised, the centre has witnessed sales up to Rs. 9,000. This achievement has encouraged us to work more and empower more children. Looking forward to much more sales!
Vocational Training / Youth Empowerment Services
From Usha Rajagopal's Desk
The highlights of February month was the field trip to Vedanthangal and the sale at Hexaware Technologies, Siruseri. At Vedanthangal, our trainees experienced seeing a variety of birds. At the Siruseri campus of Hexaware, we put a variety of our products for sale and the response was very good.
Sanitary napkin training continues with the help of Mrs. Santhi and Ms. Sathya. Samples of sanitary napkins were approved by Mical and we received the original test report.
Loom training continues with the help of Mrs. Shanthi & Mrs Uma Swaminthan and 5 scarves were completed by our trainees. An order for quilling coasters was received and was executed by our trainees with help of Mrs. Priya Ramesh.
The pending order of dupattaa and CD Coasters were completed and delivered to Ms. Amberin Memon, CPO of Hexaware. She was very happy and appreciated our trainees work.
Koushik, Vaidy and Ibrahim went participated in an event at IIHM Taramani. Academic classes are being taken regularly by Mrs. Radha Naganathan. Trainees have also started work on making papier-mâché bowls.
From Youth Empowerment Services:
1. We started this month with an auspicious note of Ruthram Chanting.
2. Solar Lamp Assembly – A new vocation has been introduced this month. Six trainees are getting trained in this.
3. From 8th February 2017, nine of our trainees are going to Sangeetha's Baker's Cafe in Mylapore for on-the-job training They will be trained in all aspects of the baking processes.
4. AIMS multimedia program is going on in a systematic and structured pattern. Parents-teachers sessions are being conducted on the first Saturday of every month.
5. On 22nd February 2017 morning we started from V–Excel with 26 trainees to Vedanthangal on a one day visit program. We reached at 12 noon. We had our lunch in a guest house and relaxed till 1:30 pm. The bird sanctuary was very calm and clean. Our trainees enjoyed watching the birds of different countries through the binoculars from the watch tower. It was a thrilling experience to them.