As a part of the first step in the direction of empowering parents of special children, the first meeting of
our parent forum, Disha, for this academic year is proposed to be conducted on 23rd July 2005 between
10 a.m. and 11 a.m. For this academic year, Mrs. Rajeshwari Ganesh will be the coordinator.
For the months of July and August, we have organized a 10-day lecture series on Autism to be delivered by Mrs.
Mallika Ganapathy. This lecture will be held on Fridays and will conclude by the end of August.
As a part of this lecture series, Ms. Deepa Raghavan will be conducting a workshop on "Setting Realistic Goals for
Autistic Children and How To Achieving Them".
Academy of Teacher Excellence News
The classes for ATE students have started off in full swing. We have an excellent batch of 20 students, who are very
enthusiastic, coming from diverse backgrounds. In the first term, we are offering six courses:
Introduction to Special Education J. Murugaselvam
Child Development & Psychology Saraswathy Bhaskar & Gayathri Vishwanath
From August, we are planning invite eminent personalities in the field of Special education and arrange their lectures
for the students.
Kaleidoscope Learning Center (KLC) News
June 3/4 Orientation for teachers : philosophy and functioning of school outlined, curriculum discussed.
June 6 School reopened for children. We welcomed 9 new students and 4 new teachers on the staff. An orientation for parents was held
on the same day where the parents were welcomed into the V-Excel family and were introduced to the classteachers.
On June 10 we completed three years. To celebrate our birthday we had an activity of art and coloring with the students
of BLA , interacting and cooperating freely with the students of KLC. It was a wholesome session and the children
were very happy to see their work up on the walls of the school.
On the June 17/18, Mrs. Anne Panghat conducted a workshop entitled, "Bringing Art into the Classroom". The sessions were
innovative and the teachers got some good ideas to make learning more multi dimensional and perhaps more permanent.
Certificates of participation were awarded.
V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News
June saw us at VRC getting together enthusiastically for two workshops to streamline the documentation and goal
setting process. Four teachers presented specific cases, and expressed a strong wish and desire to normalize their
children as much as possible. This lead to a discussion and subsequent penning down on what is normal development
in the areas of Cognition, Socialization, ADLs (Activities for Daily Life), Language usage that included communication
and play.
An amazing combination of introspective and collective thought process led us to internalize how appropriate
documentation reflected on the responsibility and the accompanying authority that lies with us in dealing with
an Autistic child. Our facilitator presented three documents for recording and monitoring performance.
Daily Activities Recording Sheet
Communication and Expression
Sample Recording
The session closed with the resolution to maintain daily records and to challenge the children appropriately,
keeping in mind their overall capabilities and potential.
Project Prabha
Project Prabha is designed for building a bright future for special children, - children who are autistic, have attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, suffer from mental retardation, beset with specific learning disabilities and the like. Project Prabha aims to support and nurture
the emotional, physical, social, spiritual well-being and development of special children through the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
formulated specifically for each child the organisation works with.
Under this programme, people can contribute to whatever extent they can, even as minimal as Rs. 5 a day, i.e., Rs. 1,825 for a year. In the USA,
an amount as low as $1 (a dollar) a day will go a long way in helping our cause. Cheques, in India, can be sent in favour of V-Excel Educational Trust, or to Academic Concepts, in the USA. Mailing addresses are in the top right corner of this newsletter.
The contribution will be invested in providing extensive support services like enhanced amenities, a conducive barrier free learning environment, equipped
therapy rooms, effective teaching aids and recreational facilities.
Bridges Learning Academy
BLA entered this academic year with 23 children. The children have been divided into six groups according to
their cognitive levels.
BLA proposes to register 10 children for the NOS exams. Legwork has already started. The registration will be
complete by the end of July.
We have introduced a uniform dress code, and the children look very smart in their new attire.
Sashaank, Sugeeshwar, Girish and Jaikrishna will attend a oratorical contest on 23rd July organized by the
Soroptimist International, Chennai. Entries for the drawing competition "Visions of Peace" held by the same
organization have been sent already.
Contact Info :: India:
V-Excel Educational Trust
#1 Norton 2nd Street
Mandaveli Chennai 600 028
Tel: 91 - 44 - 2494 2255
91 - 44 – 2495 6373 E-mail us or visit us at www.v-excel.org
Contact Info :: USA:
Academic Concepts, Inc.
1403 Merrywood Drive
Edison, NJ 08817
Tel: (732) 572-3748
Tax ID: 22-3632715 E-mail us
Volunteer Info:
Volunteers are an integral part of our success. Our most pressing needs are in the areas of occupational and speech therapies, and
as teacher aides. We also require assistance in library management.
If you have any of these and are interested in volunteering at V-Excel, please contact us.
Asperger Syndrome
This is is a milder form of autism, often also referred to as high-functioning autism, in which the children have
normal IQs and develop the ability to communicate verbally. However, their use of language is not completely normal.
Their intonation is off, either sing-song or very flat; their social expressions often have a stilted or artificial
quality; and they tend to miss verbal humor or irony. They also have difficulty understanding social cues, body
language, and facial expressions. One of the most painful aspects of this condition is the great difficulty these
children have making and keeping friends. Children with Asperger disorder tend to have obsessive or very narrow
interests; they often fixate on a topic, and rigidly resist change.
What is an IEP?
Each school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program
(IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document. The IEP creates an
opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate)
to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. The IEP is the cornerstone of a quality
education for each child with a disability.
