When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment
that comes from knowing you are working to make things better. Anonymous
V-Excel Outreach Program
It was a very busy month for the V-Excel Outreach team. Awareness and Medical camps were conducted in four places. The rural
areas covered were Rishivandhyam (382), Thiagadurgam (310), Thiruvennainallur (352), and Villupuram (280). The number in paranthesis
is the number of children who benefited from these camps.
We are very grateful to Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital and R.K.Eye Hospital for planning and conducting the eye check camp for all
the children. During the camp food packets were distributed to all the children as well as their parents. In all, the camp was
very successful with about 1300 children getting the benefit of the check-ups in the awareness camp.
Academy of Teacher Excellence News
Classes for the new batch of students in the RCI-recognized Diploma in Special Education have started.
We have an exceptional batch of 15 enthusiastic students, who come from diverse backgrounds. Courses will be taught by the
following:
Child Development & Psychology – Mrs. Saraswathy Bhaskar
Autism - Nature and Needs – Mrs. Mallika Ganapathy and Mrs. Deepa Ranjan
Curriculum and Teaching – Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Mrs. Sheeba Roshan and Mrs. Chandrika Ramesh
Family and Community - Mrs. Ramamani Ravi
Practical Observations - Mrs. Neela Chandramouli
Kaleidoscope Learning Center (KLC) News
School started on 11th June 2007, after the summer vacation. The teachers came in on 8th and 9th June for an orientation
and for getting the classes ready for the forthcoming year. We heartily welcome Ms. Sowmya Sarathy, Special Educator, Ms. Uma
Bharathy, Speech Therapist and Assistant Teachers - Ms. Vyshnavee, Mr.Mahesh, Ms.Rajani and Ms. Uma Mahashwari as a part of our team.
The school hours have been extended to 3.p.m starting 18th June. In the afternoon, children are gaining independence in daily
living skills (mainly eating and cleaning their utensils), followed by a highly structured language enrichment program.
June 15th was celebrated as Founders Day. Like every year, a group art activity was undertaken where every child in the
school participated in an art activity comprising of tearing and sticking. Music, gross motor and yoga sessions have also begun.
Children and teachers have come with renewed energy and we hope to have a wonderful year ahead.
IEP’s (Individualized Education Plans) have been drawn up in detail. Teachers are outlining goals, coordinating with other
departments to make the goals more realistic and for guiding them to plan their programs for children. Dance classes are being
conducted by the renowned Shiamak Davar Dance group every Tuesday and Thursday. The involvement and enthusiasm with which the
faculty is training our children is especially noteworthy. The children are enjoying this experience.
We are hosting the Fine Arts Department students of the Stella Maris College for Women, who will be working with us for this
semester. Different projects have been outlined for the 44 students and we are sure they will work on creative ideas that will be
of great help in teaching our children new skills.
Six of our teachers attended the Art Therapy Workshop in Savera Hotel conducted by the Bambino Educational Trust. It was
informative and we look forward to using some of the ideas in our work at school.
An innovative fun-filled ‘Water Day’ was celebrated to combat the sweltering heat in Chennai. It was truly a lovely sight to
see all the teachers and students enjoy tremendously.
V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News
The VRC services, which were earlier being run at two different locations, have now been merged at our Mandaveli Unit.
Both the autism-specific morning groups have dynamic volunteers to support the teachers-in-charge. Weekly Play therapy sessions
have been started.
Communication with the children has been the area of focus for our teachers this quarter. The children appear eager to express
themselves and are learning to listen better.
Some snippets from our classrooms:
Banu, our student, showed remarkable sensitivity in sharing of her stationery with the teacher and other children. What
was remarkable was that the whole exchange was non-verbal and she did it taking cues from the body language of others.
Venkatesh, a new addition to our VRC family, indicated to the teacher that he would prefer to work with IV grade material.
What is notable about this is the child has not received any formal education so far.
Bridges Learning Academy
The new academic year has commenced and classes have begun as scheduled. Some of the students from the previous batch continue
to be a part of BLA, while a few new faces have been added. The curriculum has been revamped this year. Several innovative
techniques are being introduced to facilitate learning and make it an enjoyable experience. A conscious effort is being made
to give individual attention to each child, which will help to ensure that all of them make steady progress.
Our students are being exposed to a variety of activities which include play therapy and art therapy. They are also attending
keyboard and mridingam classes. Another feature this year has been the introduction of spoken English classes which are
expected to go a long way in enhancing the confidence level of the children.
V-Excel Center for Research and Rehabilitation
The Center was formally inaugurated by the Social Welfare Minister, Ms. Poongodai Aladi Aruna. Various crucial services for
children with special needs have been introduced. The function was well-attended by parents, doctors and eminent people in
the field of child welfare.
Activities at the Vocational Unit have started and children are getting used to the program schedule. Recently, a field trip
to a plastic carry-bag factory was organized for the students and they really enjoyed the experience. Students are also
being exposed to various new activities like computer, terracota clay work and block printing on gift-wrap paper to develop
their skills.
Students of Fine Arts from Stella Maris College come in to teach the children make productive material through art. We also
had a good workshop on Psycho-Education by a Psychologist from Poland.
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.
Parent Statements
Having a child with autism makles a strong marriage just slightly weaker. I'm afraid to think what it would do to a weak marriage.
It's important to have another life with the parents of your other children's friends and with your co-workers, but only the
parent of another autistic child truly means, "I understand". Meeting other parents is one of the most important things you
can do for your sanity.
Behaviour modification works best when your child knows that making mistakes is normal and that you still love him when he does.
Everything we do with our autistic child - from getting ready for school to playing with his toys - follows an almost unvarying
routine. Not only does it make life easier, but it makes it easier for him to learn new skills.
Even if all goes well and as planned, the anticipatory stress of knowing that something could happen can cause you to avoid social
situations rather than participate.
The strain on our marriage was a lot worse before we knew what was wrong. Even though we didn't say anything, we were always trying
to put the blame on each other. Once we knew that we didn't cause the problem, it was easier.
