Providing lifespan services to individuals with special needs...

Toe Walking:

Toe walking is, when a child (or an adult) remains on their toes throughout, all the phases of gait. They will land on their toe and push off on their toe without the heel of the foot ever touching the ground.

Types of Toe-Walking:

Idiopathic:

Idiopathic toe-walking is a term used to describe the condition is which children walk with a toe-toe gait pattern in the absence of any known cause. It has been referred to as habitual toe-walking.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)/Sensory seeking:

Some children may toe-walk secondary to, needing a certain type of sensory stimulation that is present when they are walking on their toes. There is no shortening (Or) Spasticity found in the calf-muscles, the reason is just purely sensory.

Cerebral Palsy (CP):

Children who have mild CP may toe-walk because their calf muscles are affected by the CP and are spastic. The spasticity causes the calf muscles to continuously contract and pull the foot so that the child is pointing their toes in sitting (or) is up on their toes in standing.

The following activities are directed for the use of these children, in order to stretch and strengthen their muscles routinely.

Static/ Passive Stretches:

• Manual calf-stretch
• Walk stretch
• Towel/Long sit stretch
• Heel drop stretch

Active stretches and strengthening:

Squat-Play:

• Encourage the child to squat during play activities. It is important to help the child keep his/her heels on the floor in order to stretch the calf muscles. Sometimes performing activities on a low table will encourage squatting.
• Squatting can also be encouraged by sitting on a small ball (basketball, play ground ball, etc.) while keeping both heels down on the ground. The child can practice standing up and sitting down on the ball while keeping his/her heels down.

Marching on the spot:

Have the child bring their knees up high and then land with a flat foot.

Walking up-hill.

Walking on uneven surfaces:

Such as in a playground or sand.

Heel Walking:

Walking on the heels only. Keep the toes of the ground at all times.

Animal Walks:

Animal walks are helpful to encourage active range of motion while still having fun! (e.g.) Bear walk: (with hands & feet on the floor knees not contacting surface. Crab walk: (start in bridge position, keeping bottom off floor, moving forward using hands and feet to propel) Frog jump: (start in deep squat, encourage full foot, contacting surface during jumps) Penguin walk: (with heels contacting floor and toes up)

Scooter races:

Scooter races on a smooth surface are a great way to make your child stronger. Have the child sit on the scooter and use the heels of their feet to propel themselves forward.

Hop scotch:

With focus on full foot weight bearing.

July has been a month of enriching activity, experiences, bonding and some celebrations.

It was celebration time for Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Sundari Balakrishnan as both their birthdays were celebrated by the children at KLC with songs and cutting the dosa cake. Both special angels of the children, were wished and decorated with a veil and the tiara and these are the special moments shared with the children.

On the 6th July the entire staff attended the training in First Aid conducted by the St. John’s Ambulance and we are very grateful to Charumathi Sriram and Anand Jagadeesan for arranging the same.

16 July was the summer salad Day celebrated across all the classes in KLC. Four different salads were prepared with all children cutting, chopping, and mixing and serving. It was a group learning, group sharing and all children engaged in the fine motor tasks involved in the preparation of these salads. Most people in Sharda got to taste the variety of combinations of vegetables and fruit.

On the 18th of July the trainees who are in the farm program began the enhanced farm program of three days and two nights. It’s a step up from last years’ experience of an overnight stay. It’s absolutely essential for the young trainees to get this experience in independent living, and using their entire bodies towards an activity which is holistic, of the earth and therapeutic in nature. The Thursday to Saturday trips we hope will stand the students in good stead and prepare them for an independent life ahead.

Block work continues in all classes which is the mainstay of the curriculum which addresses the academic and learning needs of the students. Grade 5B ended their India block with a celebration of attire and food. Children came dressed in Indian festive wear and a meal with dishes prepared from different state traditions was shared on banana leaves.

In another instance the Roman Senate was being explored by students of Grade 6. The student council then proceeded to make rules for their class and some for the school at large. Some innovative and useful suggestions which came from the students themselves were, half an hour of silence time every day, teachers to get foot massages from students in turn. Teachers felt really proud to see their students showing signs of independent thinking and responsible doing!

Tiffin times was held on 23 July and was successful. Its heartening moment when the master chefs are introduced to the the visitors and they get a resounding applause.

Grade 1 and kindergarten visited the farm on 23 July and spent a wonderful day in the open , visiting the livestock, playing with the calves and just being free under the blue skies with much less supervision as the space is so safe. Each class has been scheduled for this trip and we hope the children and teachers are able to enjoy this valuable experience.

The inservice workshops this month included a talk by Lakshmi Sudhakaran on Polarities in the class room. The second workshop by Puja and Neha as part of the parent enrichment training on Twelve Senses was also attended by most of the teachers. Both workshops were very well received and teachers felt empowered to deal with children in their classrooms with this understanding.

A graduation ceremony was held with the students’ parents and teachers of Grade 5A who are now moving into Grade 6. In a solemn, yet lighthearted ceremony each child was knighted and anointed as he got ready for his next class. The parents enjoyed the whole ceremony and most were moved to see the many ways which are devised to make learning multimodal and how the teachers strive to meet the spirit of the children in one way or the other. On all such occasions we find that the children are very present and understand deeply what is being expected of them.

The child study of Sriniranjan was successfully completed over three weeks on three consecutive Fridays. We do hope we see a change in the child’s engagement and sensory issues.

The teachers of KLC bonded and relaxed with each other on a few occasions this month. About thirty of them saw a movie together after school one day. For the new teachers it was a happy experience to see that friendships extend beyond the school premises. We were very sad to bid farewell to Johanna Schiefer our young German volunteer who completed her year with us. Her farewell was celebrated with food, presents and letters and tears and songs. Everyone ate and watched our school production of Lion King together. Thea and Johanna are volunteers from friends of Waldorf and we were very fortunate to have these young girls for a year to help us with our students. It’s been a great friendship and we wish both the girls a very bright future back in Germany. Thea will be leaving at the beginning of August.

On the flip side, one of our students Bhuvan has been in a critical situation with his health as well as his mental wellbeing. Both the parameters have been fluctuating at extremes and the entire teacher and therapist body is coming together to help his parents, take him for therapy and try and mitigate the situation. We really hope and pray that Bhuvan recovers and comes back to school with some improvement. On such occasions it is commendable to see teachers going beyond their call of duty to be of help to the families of our students.

Together we can make things happen is the mantra at VRC and BLA. The month of July has been one of great learning and experience for both the students and the teachers.

The major group activities were:

Visit to the park:

The children were taken to the park about 300 metres from the school. The children enjoyed playing in the open. They patiently waited to take turns in the swing. Some children who had difficulty in climbing up the slide were helped and motivated by other children to participate. We say children displaying qualities like being empathetic, waiting for turns, sharing the resources. It was a fun filled learning session.

Road mapping:

The students were taken on a walk around the school. The students of BLA prepared a road map to show the places of interest they saw during the walk.

Metro Train Ride:

July 20th was a memorable day for all the students. they were taken on a ride in the Metro train. The children exhibited their best behaviour both in the station as well as in the train. They enjoyed the ride thoroughly and also learnt a few information about the train and the stations that they passed by. The trip from the centre to the station and back in a van was enjoyable. The children danced and sang. They also shared their snacks. The journey was fun filled and also informative.

Changes in circle time:

Every day the students gather in the room from 9.30 am to 10.00 am for circle time. It starts with a prayer. The children do exercises and Yoga asana that are scheduled for each day. One student is in charge of the circle time. She or he ensures that all students are doing the exercises properly. This opportunity has helped the children to take up responsibility and also learn leadership qualities.

Activities for BLA students:

The overall development of students is the chief aim at the centre. The following have become a part of the curriculum in this academic year – Functional English and Math, Spoken English classes, Art and Craft, Yoga and Brain gym, indoor games, concept based games, basic housekeeping skills, basic cooking skills. These are just a few earnest steps taken to ensure life skills for our students.

Academics:

Two students of VRC are being trained to learn basic language and Math skill. Every day for half an hour the primary students of BLA and students of VRC listen to a story and discuss about it. This activity has helped the children to think, react and participate. Their vocabulary and grammar skills have been focused upon during these sessions.

The primary students of BLA have shown keen interest in lesson based activities. Now they are being trained in functional academics based on a prescribed syllabus given by NIOS.

The students appearing for the NIOS secondary and Higher Secondary exams are getting vigorous training to face their exams in October. The students are also geared up to face the exams.

Success story of VRC: Student name Dinesh M.

M.Dinesh joined VRC in June 2019. When he came he was rigid, not willing to mingle with his class mates, refusing to eat without his grandma. He was not toilet trained. The child was reluctant to participate in any activity.

The teachers drew out a plan to help Dinesh to overcome his issues. Consistent efforts and unconditional support slowly helped the child to blossom into a new person.

In about a months’ time the child started to greet other children and the teachers. He has also learnt to reciprocate the teachers by a nod of his head, smile or a short sound. he now wants to take a lead when he sees other children playing. He enjoys being in a group and do the activities. He is also able to take instructions and do the activity.

Practice to eat lunch: For the first two weeks his grandmother used to feed him, then she was made to sit outside the room and he was fed by akka: after about a month he started to bring the mat and get his lunch box ready. Now he does not expect anyone to help him. He also waits for his friends to join him for lunch. He listens patiently to his friends say the prayer before eating lunch.

The changes were seen consistently. The latest is he is able to indicate if he needs to use the toilet. The fruits of hard work are indeed sweet.

New student at Pre NIOS BLA:

Neha joined BLA in June 2019. Her parents wanted her to learn in a school setup. She has difficulty in language and Math. Her self-confidence is low as she feels she is not good at academics. The plan was to identify her strength and motivate her to take up academic studies. Neha s strengths were her socialising skills, empathy towards her fellow beings, cooperating well with teachers. One on one teaching, remedial sessions have helped her to gain confidence in studies. She is also given an opportunity to show her leadership qualities – she is in charge of the primary students during play time. She also peer tutors the primary students for half an hour every week. To improve her self-esteem, she is being given art therapy twice a week These activities have helped her to overcome the fear of performing in academics. She has now willingly registered for the secondary examinations of NIOS. She is confident of taking up exams in April 2020. She is now receiving coaching for the same. Once again it has reinforced our belief that together we can make things happen.

The NEEV project at Cathedral Free Primary School is at the handing over phase. The academic year began in June. We are now consolidating our work. We have one staff from NEEV working with the school. Total of 35 students had benefited by our program last academic year. This year our resource person has been sensitising the teachers on how children with learning disabilities can be included in regular classroom. She has been visiting all the classes and helping teachers to identify children and plan out a remedial program for them. Ten students are being coached one on one by the remedial teacher. The students got on opportunity to perform in a dance program in the school during the St. Joseph's Feast.

Anandam resource room strives at bringing a holistic development in children. This month also contributed to it. As a mark of respect to our late President Dr. A. P.J Abdul Kalam , children remembered him on his death anniversary on July 27th. Children drew pictures of their late leader. Some children spoke about his achievements. This was helpful for all to learn about the life and achievements of this wonderful person.

It has been proposed to introduce a games period on every Tuesday and dance and movement class on every Thursday. This is to help the children to learn socialising skills, to keep the mind and body fit. It will also help the children overcome shyness and take initiatives to work as a team.

July has been a promising month for the children and the teachers of our team.