Developmental Challenges

The parents and families of children with special needs go through a lot of stress and anxiety in bringing up their children. Dr Roma Kumar, a Senior Consultant in Clinical Psychology, discusses various issues that these parents have to tackle on an almost everyday basis and possible solutions. Q1. Different research and surveys across the world show that more than 50% of the parents of children with disabilities suffer from anxiety, stress and depression. In your experience in India what are…

Jellow Communicator, a free app compatible with Android tablets and mobiles has been developed by an interdisciplinary team of therapists, graphic designers, software programmers and animators at the IDC School of Design in IIT Bombay. This app aids communication and learning in children on the autism spectrum and speech impairments. An interview with Sudha Srinivasan, post-doctoral fellow, IDC, and paediatric speech therapist, who provided clinical content for the app. You and your team…

Siddharth Jayakumar has Cerebral Palsy but did not want a data entry job. He loves to work in an office and interact with people. He shares the high points of his career as a senior banker, challenges of his professional life and advise for both people seeking jobs and hiring managers. How long have you been working Siddharth? I have been working for close to 12 years now in the banking industry in the area of trade finance. I started my career in 2005 witth ABN Amro/RBS and I’m now with the…

Parents of Vinamra, who has mild autism disorder, always made it a point to remember that their son can lead a happy, fulfilled life if they channelized his energies well. Mother Rima Ved recounts how she and her husband tirelessly prepared their son for adulthood and independence. My son, Vinamra, has autism. He is 21-year-old, all grown up, capable and independent today. But there was a time, nearly a decade ago, when I didn’t know how to raise him. I realized he was different from other kids…

Sometimes the routine activities like going to a restaurant or a dentist or a hair salon can seem daunting to a person with autism. Parents often do not know how to help their child navigate through these activities. Children with Autism are able to cope better with new and difficult social situations if they are prepared for it through video modelling. Social stories [TM] are a technique that was created by Carol Gray in 1991 to help teach social skills to people on the autism spectrum. They…

All parties play a part in enabling a child with special needs - the system, parents, the public, as well as the child himself. When one is willing to give the child an opportunity and to accept the child, he is making a difference in the child’s life. With a “Zao An!”, Fang Zhi would bid a friendly good morning in Mandarin to a few neighbours whom he meets on his way to school like any typical lively boy. Those who first meet him may not be aware that Fang Zhi has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD…

Did you know White Print is a lifestyle magazine in Braille? It was launched by Upasana Makati exclusively for the visually impaired to help them get a taste of life and experiences they are otherwise deprived of. Four years down the line, Upasana feels it was one of the best decisions of her life to launch this magazine. Why do you think Braille Literacy is important? Just as reading and writing are crucial to most aspects of a sighted person's life, knowing Braille is a symbol of empowerment…

Without a proper plan, your child with autism may face an uncertain future after you are gone. Chitra Iyer, Treasurer and Trustee, Forum for Autism, spells out reasons why it is absolutely necessary for parents to prepare a Will. While this may apply to various disabilities, the focus for this article is mainly on children with autism and keeps in mind the legal requirements in India. What if something were to happen to me tomorrow, how can I ensure that my child with Autism who is now an…

Having witnessed the power of the human-animal bond, Maureen Huang started Pawsibility that specializes in the use of Animal Assisted Therapy in conducting counselling and social emotional development programmes to help children and youth in Singapore overcome challenges and reach their full potential. Tell us how dogs help people with disabilities or conditions. Dogs change the atmosphere of a therapy setting. They help people to relax, be more engaged in the therapeutic process and be more…

The need to integrate inclusive design at our homes, schools, workplaces, malls, hospitals, parks, etc, especially to improve accessibility and mobility for the disabled, needs to be given urgent priority for the wellbeing of society, writes Daniel Wong, Access Consultant design professional. The world is experiencing a population boom never before seen in history. Birth rate is increasing while deathrate is slowing. People are living longer because of improved healthcare science particularly…