"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything." Thich Nhat Hanh
V-Excel News
The settling in of the school and of different Units after the summer break brought in order and all the activities have started in full swing. The
beginning was made by a beautiful colourful collage showing all our children in the center and all the caregivers of the organization around them.
This huge wall-mounted picture is very aptly called ‘Metamorphosis’, depicting growth and positive changes.
Dr. Vasudha Prakash, our Founder-Director, represented V-Excel at SOPAN (Society of Parents of Children with Autistic Disorders) in Mumbai in a meeting
of experts to discuss epidemiological research on Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in India. Their aim was to seek inputs on design and
implementation and request partnerships with NGOs located in different parts of the country. We are happy to share with you that V-Excel has agreed
to partner on this project with SOPAN.
On the 22nd of this month we observed Founder’s Day at our Adyar premises and on 29th we celebrated Mrs. Usha Rajagopal’s (Trustee of ESVI Sarada
Foundation) birthday. These celebrations and outings are learning experiences for our children as they bring out the hidden talents in the students.
Also, such fun times together help build bonds amongst the children and with the teachers.
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
Parent meetings have been held this month to orient the parents about different aspects of the changing school environment. On the 7th, John Miller
addressed the parents of the grade school about diet and its management. Later in the month, on 17th July, Dr. Vasudha Prakash and John Miller addressed the
first PEM (Parent Education Meeting) and introduced to them the principles of curative education.
The parents, based on the priority of their issues, are being met in individual counseling sessions where specific queries and doubts are also addressed.
This multi-pronged effort is being aimed at taking the parents with us and making sure that the child receives a continuous, consistent holistic intervention
in the school and at home.
Teachers of kindergarten have started on home visits and all of them have come back armed with more knowledge of the child and more understanding of
the parents. We're sure this will pave the way for a better program for the children.
On the 10th of July, the school enjoyed Water Day where the children, teachers and all volunteers enjoyed a cool day in Chennai with a lot of water
splashing, water sitting, and water spilling!!! What a blast the children had!!
Academy for Teacher Excellence
The teacher training course, one year Diploma in Special Education in Autism Spectrum Disorder, recognized by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
commenced from 2nd July 2009. An exciting ensemble of 11 new trainees has joined and is spell-bound with anticipation.
To gain an understanding and an appreciation of the differences between different school set-ups, a variety of observations were organized mainly at
regular schools, Montessori setups, Special schools and those with the ‘inclusive education’ concept.
The depth and extent of information to be learnt is immense and presently seems daunting to the students as it is just the beginning of their course.
However, introduction to new subjects, lectures and discussions on the mystery of Autism are keeping the students quite engrossed.
Rich experience in the sensorial room for the trainees was organized by Mallika Ganapathy, one of our faculty members. It was an entirely new feeling
for the students and they really got a lot from this session.
Early Intervention Unit
Goals for the term have been identified for children who are already in the Early Intervention Program. Detailed home program has been formulated and
parents have been advised to implement it at home; specific suggestions are given by our team.
Thanks to our focus on mainstreaming, some children have started attending play group or primary school, and are in the process of settling in the new
environment. We did school observations to facilitate this process and see that the children are coping well.
A few new children have been inducted into the Early Intervention Unit and their programs are being planned out. The emphasis for this term has been on
functional independence and language development.
Bridges Learning Academy
The IEP meetings were held during the third week of July. Detailed discussions were held with each parent, and they were apprised about the current
level of functioning of their wards. The short term and long term goals have also been chalked out for each child and discussed with the parents.
Some of the parents shared their concerns regarding behavioral issues faced by them at home and we are taking these on board.
The children visited Guindy National Park on the 24th of this month. Although some of them had visited the Park earlier they were thrilled to go there
again with their friends. They were fascinated by the birds and the animals, and were especially interested in spotting the little ones. The children’s
park was another attraction and they enjoyed themselves thoroughly playing on the slides and swings. The highlight of the day was of course the yummy
snacks all of them had brought. The children were happy to have this break from the normal school routine.
V-Excel Remedial Centre
We all know that changes bring forth their own challenges in terms of putting new systems in place, incorporating an underlying philosophy into
every action, ensuring on-going teacher training and so on. To work towards all these challenges, new ideas came up and ‘To Be Organized’ has become a
beginning motto of this academic year for VRC. To implement the motto effectively, educators have designed new planning sheets, progress reports, and
record maintenance sheets for smooth running of the Unit
The school readiness group has got off with an enthusiastic start with a structured Waldorf curriculum. The group also receives play therapy, music,
story time and lot of movements and touch activities, all of which will go a long way in their development.
Our experience shows that children develop many skills and improve in a group. We have hence initiated the ‘Group Remedial Program’ on Saturdays.
Three groups have been formed - two for the students with Learning Disabilities and one for students with Autism. The goals and objectives provide
opportunity to the children to support one another and guide themselves in their own way.
This year some continuous education implementation programs have been planned:
In-services for Educators – To add depth to their understanding of the children and the methods used.
Parent and Teacher contact/meetings – Periodic meetings to discuss children’s work and progress proves helpful to both and for the child on the whole.
Weekly meeting of the staff in the Unit – To share the experiences of teaching, the learning process and to guide each other.
Rural Outreach Program
More than 600 children attended the medical camp. Assessment of their needs was done through various checks. We have covered seven blocks out of
ten by now and the process will continue for the rest.
As a part of these camps, free supply of tea, biscuits, breakfast, lunch, are offered to the villagers. This acts as a motivator for them to come forth for the check-ups. Bus charges are also borne by us on such occasions. We are happy that more and more people in rural areas are becoming aware about early identification of medical problems.
Vocational Training Unit
The Carnival is scheduled for the 6th of September 2009 between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Please do make a note of it in your calendar. Your presence and
contribution is most welcome and will surely make a difference. The group of students and staff are busy preparing products to be sold at the Carnival.
We look forward to your encouragement to our students by way of purchasing their enthusiastically made products.
We have a new photocopy machine to train the students as one more vocational option. Self-employment and outside job opportunities open up with this
type of service.
For our monthly field trip, we visited the NIEPMD (National Institute of Empowerment of People with Multiple Disabilities) in Muttukadu. It was good
to meet people at the national level who are genuinely and creatively involved in empowerment of the disabled
We have a ‘text reading’ session on Anthrophosophy twice a month, followed by a detailed discussion. We sincerely hope this helps us get a much deeper
understanding of ourselves and of the children we work so closely with.
Counseling and Assessment Unit
Counseling unit is now well integrated within the school system. It works across all our Service Units. Children are fairly settled and counseling
as well as play therapy has started on a regular basis.
The private counseling is picking up at the corporate level and we have received positive feedback from those who sought counseling. The issues in
this sector primarily revolve around relationship and stress management.
Since this year, we have redesigned the consultation process such that we get inputs from a team comprising of occupational therapists, special
educators and psychologists. This makes the consultation process more comprehensive and holistic in terms of the child’s assessment and the direction
for the child’s progress.
Contact Info :: India:
V-Excel Educational Trust
#1 Norton 2nd Street
Mandaveli Chennai 600 028
Tel: 91 - 44 - 24620243
91 - 44 – 24956373 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.
India Autism: Trying Tradition
In India, old ideas are giving new options to treating autism. Liz Neisloss reports on that country's approach.
Anthroposophical medicine, one of the many initiatives launched by Rudolf Steiner, is a holistic approach to healing that entails an in-depth assessment
of the fourfold human constitution - wherein the inter-weave of physical, etheric, astral and egoic bodies of the individual are delved into.
Treatment can entail attention to any or all of the four bodies, often using homeopathic and herbal remedies. High-level considerations in medicine translate
as remedies that facilitate the body’s natural healing processes. Rather than simply masking symptoms, as is often the case in allopathic medicine,
the holistic approach looks to symptoms as signs of imbalance within the body. By seeking an understanding of how the body is naturally working to heal itself,
holistic medicines are then formulated to stimulate a patient’s innate self-healing powers.
Materialistic science tends to view disease as nothing more than an enemy to eradicate. In contrast, the spiritual-scientific perspective of Steiner
indicates that illnesses are often the cure for a soul condition.
Childhood illnesses can be of significant value to an individual’s destiny. Young children have more mutable DNA than adults. Children often incarnate into
a body which they feel does not suit them. In effect, they experience discomfort, a feeling of being not-at-home in the body. The spirit of the child which,
in its over-lighting wisdom, knows what is best for the overall development of the child, can use a high fever as a catalyst to transform the DNA so that the
body is made more suitable for the individual soul inhabiting it. Immunizations can interfere with this process, resulting in a child having to live with
allergies and/or asthma for the rest of its life.
Another related issue entailing modern medical practice emerges when some illnesses are eradicated for the general population. Because we require a particular
“medical challenge” to remedy a given imbalance on the soul level of our being, the pool of human consciousness seeks out new illnesses to fill the gap.
Accessing the challenges and/or conditions needed to complete a soul-quest becomes the issue.
This dynamic does not mean that we stop striving to alleviate suffering. We continue with this, of course. But with greater understanding decisions pertaining
to illness can lead to more optimal overall and long term benefits.
Steiner once recounted the tale of a man who had developed restricted breathing on one side of his chest. After an operation the man could breath normally.
However, his spirit had actually created the breathing restriction because of a weakness in one of his lungs. The unrestricted breathing that resulted from
the operation shortened the man’s life, due to complications in the lung. He would have lived longer had he left his condition as it was.
Extensions of anthroposophical medicine include artistic therapies such as eurhythmy (the science and art of movement to speech and music), music, and painting.
