Movement Therapy
Movement Therapy is an empowering instructional strategy that strengthens both the left and right hemispheres of the brain by combining patterning, visual movement calculation, audible receptive processing, rhythm and sequencing for a "whole brain", cognitive thinking approach that improves behavioral, emotional, academic, social and speech and language.

Effects of Music and Movement
- Movement therapy hasthe ability to transport our minds and redirect our thoughts
- Helps in calming and to regulate our moods
- Dance and Music have an enormous effect on our thinking and how we process information
- We use all of our senses when we dance: our body, our ears and our eyes
- And most important of all we use our "Whole Brain"
- Allows for increased inclusion opportunities
- Movement (Dance) and Music are universal languages
- We do not need to verbally communicate when we dance
- Dancing to music engages both the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Movement therapy has been included in the home programme of the EI programme. It is inducted as an individual programme at home and as a group programme at the centre. This is followed by structured specific brain gym exercises. The combined methods have contributed to the development in all domains.

Strategies for promoting language development in child with autism
: These strategies when followed consistently facilitate communication
1. Imitation:
Imitation plays a major role for promoting language. Making your child's sound and play behaviour with encourage more vocalizing and interaction. It also encourages your child to copy you and take lesson.
2. Encourage play:
Make your child play. Interactive play provides enjoyable opportunities for you and your child to communicate. Make your child play different games and enjoy them. This helps promote social interaction.
3. Make your language simple
If your child is nonverbal, try speaking mostly in single words like ball, throw and catch etc. Then gradually increase to short phrases.
4. Encourage the child's interest:
Rather than interrupting your child's focus, follow along with word. Make your child play and discover his interests. Based on that encourage him to communicate.
5. Focus on non-verbal communication:
Gestures and eye contact can build a foundation for language. Use both your body and your voice while communicating with the child
6. Give space to talk:
It is very important to give your child lots of opportunities to communicate, even if he isn't talking. If you ask a question, wait for the child to respond. He may respond using gestures, action or sound. The promptness of your response helps your child feel the power of communication.

School reopened on the 5th of June for the teachers and on the 12th for all the students. Preparing for school to reopen always has its own flavour ....newness mixed with anticipation.

The whole building wore a new look with its spanking clean walls and fresh coat of paint. The sand pit had new sand and the skating ring a new floor. Teachers worked hard to warm up the classrooms to welcome the students which was done at all levels ... physically sprucing the place up, and mentally planning with care the curriculum, the vocations, the task lists for filling in the gaps for many students, drawing up individual and class goals. In a collective group , teachers worked collaboratively and produced three beautiful landscapes to add to the colour and form at Sharda. This was part of the teachers orientation week and we have green meadows, a seascape and the woods for the three landings in the building.

We welcomed Nithya the new teacher in Grade 3 as Priya is on a part sabbatical for this year. We also welcomed six new children in our midst and the KLC student family has grown to be 65 now. We await the arrival of another transfer Preethi, which will happen in the month of July.

The new parents had their orientation with Gita and Shashi and were taken formally and introduced to their class teachers . Forms were filled so we know the children better and they also got a brief orientation about the schools philosophy, working and regulations.

KLC has always celebrated all festivals and it is an integral part of the curriculum. In keeping with this, we were surprised to note that every class also has its fair representation of different religious beliefs and cultures. So a multicultural class and natural inclusion happens at various levels at occasions like Eid being celebrated with the piety and flavour of the Ramadan month. We thank Zainabu in leading the festivities this year as the school celebrated Eid on the 23rd of June.

The pretest for selecting students for AIMS media was conducted, parents met after students were selected and KLC is all set to embark on the first group of training with nine students being selected for this training. Our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Maria Kapasi and other members of AIMS for this worthwhile inclusion for our senior students as part of the vocational training.

Senior grades have been working on History Block - Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Ancient India. In connection to this Grade 7 had requested Mr. Vedanth and his friend Radhika to give a session of singing related to the Mughal period. They sang in Grade 6 and so both the groups of 6 and 7 got to hear the singing. It was very soulful. Students enjoyed the singing and the tabla played by Chinmay.

KLC wears a look of activity with classes bubbling with movement and art and drama and the vocations being started in right earnest as the month wore along. Gardening in Theosophical gardens, cooking, hospitality, office skills, carpentry, Cafe Samarth are some of the continuing vocations for the students. Along with this , we are also trying to bridge the gaps for the students who may not have good prevocational skills especially hand function skills. Our afternoon program addresses the prevocational tasks with lots of handwork and artwork.

Tech Mahindra Smart Class+ (ATE program)

The Tech Mahindra Smart Class+ (ATE program) supported by Tech Mahindra and Annamalai University was inaugurated on Saturday June 10, 2017 at our premises in R.A. Puram. Dr. T. Santhanam, Professor and Director of SDS Institute of Behavioural Sciences, presided over the proceedings. 42 candidates have registered for the program.

Inaugurating BLA

The Bridges Learning Academy Unit (BLA) was inaugurated on 12th June at R.A. Puram. Dr. S. Sugandhi, Child Psychologist, Special Educator and Rehabilitation Expert presided over the event.

BLA offers holistic programs that will respect the learning pace of the children while helping them meet social norms. They are facilitated by qualified/trained teachers in NIOS and Samcheer (Tamilnadu State Board) Curriculum. The programs at BLA incorporat life skills along with academics into the daily curriculum to help students gain confidence and apply their learning.

Skating Rink in Sharada

Thanks to a generous grant from Mr. Jan-Uwe Burmeister, Managing Trustee of Yoga-Vereinigung Rajagopalan in Germany, we were able to reconstruct our skating rink in our R.A. Puram premises. The rink is now being actively used.

Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami's Visit

Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami visited our premises on June 16, 2017 to get an idea of the vocational practices and training being conducted there. He spent time interacting with the staff and trainees.

AIMS Multimedia Training - Batch 2

AIMS Media has started a second batch in multimedia programs, specially designed for children with special needs, in our R.A. Puram premises. AIMS Media is an ISO 9001:2008 certified multimedia academy providing certified degree in the field of Animation, Graphics Designing, VFX & Video Editing.

AIMS Media has designed a program 'AIMS AEMP'(Ability Enhanced Multimedia Program) for children with special needs under the guidelines given by doctors, parents, special educators and technical experts, keeping in mind all variations of disabilities. This is the first time where a multimedia course is specially designed and taught to children with special needs.

The first batch of this program in V-Excel has been operational in our Mylapore premises since January 2017.

Internship Prospects

Mr. P. Rajagopal, the Managing Director of the Sangeetha Hotels, visited our premises in Mylapore on June 16, 2017 to watch the trainees at work, specially in the bakery there. He had many words of encouragement for the trainees and we look forward to having some of them be placed in the Sangeetha Baker's Cafe soon.

DISES Conference, Sofia

The Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, promotes knowledge, exchange, collaboration, human rights and advocacy to those who provide services for individuals with disabilities. DISES promotes international communication, cooperation, and progress in education and services for children who have disabilities and/or gifts and talents. DISES serves as a catalyst for the international exchange of special education practice, promotes international research, and sponsors forums for professional development, and establishes networks that foster international association.

This year's DISES roundtable conference in Sofia, Bulgaria concluded on June 30, 2017. Dr. Vasudha Prakash presented a paper on the "Impact of In-service Training on Teacher Attitudes Towards Inclusion in India". The presentation was very well received. Dr. Vasudha also participated in a session of inclusive training methods for teachers at the rural schools in Teteven, Bulgaria.

Tarang in Chennai

This year's monthly Tarang concert series kicked off on June 29 at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mylapore with a concert by Bharathi Ramasubban. She was accompanied on the violin by Madan Mohan and on the mridangam by Tanjore Praveen Kumar.

Bharathi Ramasubban was the winner of the Outstanding Junior Vocalist Award for her performance at The Madras Music Academy. Her grandmother was a direct disciple of one of the famous Carnatic composers of the 20th century, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar. Her mother was also a music student and has a Bachelors in music. After her initiation to Carnatic music through both of them, Bharathi trained with Seetha Rajan and is now a disciple of P.S. Narayanaswamy.

VRC started functioning on a full scale from June 1, 2017. The Neev and NalandaWay teachers commenced their work in their respective schools after the vacation. The Bridges Learning Academy was officially inaugurated on 12th June. We did assessments in VRC for 12 children this month. Thirteen children are being given remedial help and more children will be included from July. The MOU for the Neev schools for the coming year was also signed.

Five children from Kaustubam were observed by our special educators and a meeting was held in Sharadha by the different unit heads to decide the accomodations to be made for them. A multi-disciplinary team including Dr.Karthiyayini, psychologists, special educators and parents met at Sharada to discuss the course of action for a girl who has been coming for remedial in the center.

We have also started counselling services for VRC children and the parents. Counselling was given to three parents and five children. We have now five part-time special educators and two joining us from July. We also have an administrative staff for VRC.

A peep into Bridges Learning Academy
Our Bridges Learning Academy inaugural function was held on 12th June 2017. The Unit Head gave the welcome address. Mrs. Suganthi, Retired State Commissioner for Special Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, inaugurated the function. We had the privilege of having great legends of Special Education - Mr.Jalaludeen, the first Special Educator in South India and Dr. T.Santhanam grace the function. The BLA Coordinator addressed the parents about the functioning of the academy. Dr. Santhanam addressed the parents about NIOS. Currently, the number of students enrolled:
Pre-NIOS 4
NIOS 10th 3
Samacheer1 10th 1
Two more admissions are to be finalized this month.

From the NEEV desk
The Neev schools started on 3rd of July. There were new assessments to be done for new students. In Malathi, 8 assessments and in Olcott 16 assessments were done. Children who were already in our project were happy to come to school, and attend remedial. It was happy to see they had implemented what was taught during the holidays, and some children exhibited some of their holiday work. In M.P. Anand 66 observations were consolidated to 36 assessments, of which 33 children were enrolled in the project.

New trainees were recruited for school and trained. In-service was provided for teachers by the counselling department. The Principals of all Neev schools welcomed the idea of recruiting special educators to be trained and certified by V-Excel and to be stationed in the respective schools. This clause was included in the new MOU. IEP and timetable for all the children are in progress.

As we step into the second month, more activities are planned and shall be back with more exciting updates! Here is VRC wishing all a very happy and productive Academic Year!

Our preparation for the new Academic year commenced on June 1, 2017. The classes for trainees of YES began on 5th June. School reopened on 12th June for the teachers. The teachers got the classrooms ready to receive the children from the following week.

This year we have almost 15 new students in the school. Three new teachers have been appointed.

Two children Master Samrat Bhalerao and Master Vihaan Srivastav, who were enrolled in our Early Intervention program have secured admission in mainstream schools. Their teacher Ms. Vaishali Dhomse had put in a lot of effort to help them enroll in a regular school.

We also have a new entrant in our Professional team. Ms. Sadhana Joshi has joined us as the Academic Coordinator of the school.

From this year, we have begun coaching for Open Schooling exams in our Centre. Mrs. Vibha Gujjar, a volunteer, has started teaching two students who have learning difficulties to appear for Level A exams of Open Basic Education scheme of NIOS.

On 29th June, Ms. Maya Sangi, a senior Speech and Language Therapist from Guruji Hospital, addressed a group of 25 parents on developing speech and communication in children with special needs.

From Gopal Jahagirdar in Solapur
On 4th June Gopal, Raghvendra Patil and Sunita Vaidya gave a presentation to the Electrical Engineer Society of Maharastra State Electricity Board Solapur for donations and other help.

On 12th June school reopened and all students were welcomed with an Aarati and sweets were given to children.

On 21st June Yoga Day was celebrated in our center. Mrs. Rajani Bahirat performed Yoga and all parents and teachers and volunteers and students followed her.

On 27th June Dr. Devesh Joshi, our Occupational Therapist, resigned his job as he plans to go abroad. A sendoff party was organized for him.

On 29th June Mrs. Mrunal More came to our center and conducted special activities for our students.

From Abhyasa Kendra - Srirangam
The academic year 2017-18 in Abhyasa Kendra started on a good note with the inauguration of the remedial programs for children with learning difficulties. The inauguration was on June 19th, and the children will be handled by Mrs. Sangeetha in our old premises.

Mrs. Lalitha Sridhar, the Associate Director, south satellite centres, visited the Abhyasa centre on June 23rd and met a few parents. She was delighted to see the students at our centre and spent the day interacting with the students, parents and the teachers.

Colour Therapy was introduced for the first time at Abhyasa centre this year on June 26th. Mr. Gokulnath from Puttaparuthy visited the centre and interacted with our children. The children were asked to colour and paint and had a good time during their sessions.

After summer vacation, VTU unit opened on 1st June for staff and on 5th June for trainees. Shahbaz is a new trainee who has joined us this academic year and he has been showing good progress since Day 1.

Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami visited VTU on June 13. He shared a lot of thought-provoking ideas for both the parents and the staff. He blessed all trainees and appreciated our work.

- On working Saturdays our trainees play indoor and outdoor games.
- Two of our trainees have been selected for AIMS training in mulitmedia. An order for 2,500 sanitary napkins was completed and delivered.
- 25% of the jute bags order for the Sringeri Sharada Peetham has been completed.
- In block printing we completed 50 thambulam bags.
- On 30th June 2017 the staff met at our Café Samarth to celebrare the birthdays of two of our staff.

From Youth Empowerment Services:
This month we started our 1st term on a happy note. Our intern Balambiga has been appointed as an intern in a multispecialty hospital in Vadapalani. Dr. T. Kamaraj, the MD of that hospital, has extended his support in placing our trainees. Balambiga will be assisting the employees in the reception desk. To begin with, she will go to the hospital once a week and during the rest of the days she will continue her training, in the desired skills, in YES.

The MD of Sangeetha Restaurants, Chennai, Mr. P. Rajagopal, has agreed to place two of our trainees on a full-time basis. One other trainee will be taken as an intern.

Our counseling team is visiting the sites where our trainees are going to be placed. They are meeting with the employers and employees to create an awareness about our trainees.