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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER Issue#11
Jagrithi
Aikya Newsletter
April 2014
From the Director
Dear Friends, Seasons greetings. Wishing you all a very happy
Tamil New year. March was quite a busy month. AIKYA was busy
planning for the 25
th Anniversary.
Down syndrome day was celebrated on March 21
st world over. AIKYA was represented at the UN
by Mr. Deepak on that day. United Nations Secretary-General, Ban
Ki-moon, appealed for better access and equality to health services
for persons with Down syndrome.
Too often, persons with disabilities including those with Down
syndrome face stigma, discrimination and exclusion, said Mr. Ban in
a message for World Down Syndrome Day, observed on 21 March, with a
special focus this year on Health and Wellbeing: Access and
Equality for All. The lack of full and equal participation of those
with Down syndrome affects not only individuals and their families,
but society at large, the Secretary-General stressed. Down syndrome
is caused by extra genetic material in chromosome 21. The World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that incidence of Down syndrome
is between 1 in
1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide, and that each year,
approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosome
disorder. Our volunteer Shalini left for Singapore for higher
studies. The staff and the kids organised a send off party for her.
Though they enjoyed the fun of get together, they were a bit
emotional too. We are going to miss her. We wish Shalini all the
best in her endeavours. The anniversary was celebrated on 30
th. The event
started with audio visual presentation of the 25 years of
service of AIKYA which was received well and appreciated. Old
students of AIKYA who have done well for themselves were
appreciated with Role Model awards. They spoke, so did their
parents and siblings. This was followed by cultural programs by the
students which was the highlight of the day. The Guest of Honour
Smt Revathy Sankaran was making remarks in between which made the
program very lively. She was humorous, witty and emotional at
times. Earlier the chief Guest Ln. Venkatraman, Governor of Lions
clubs International Dist 324 A5 inaugurated and appreciated the
role of AIKYA in all joint efforts. Ln. N.R.Dhanabalan, PDG
released
the souvenir and praised our role in all mega events organised
by him.
April is the AUTISM Awareness Month and April 2nd was World
Autism Awareness day. Light it up blue celebrates Autism Awareness.
Join us in supporting the cause and children affected by
AUTISM.
- Parvathy Vishwanath
Jagrithi
AIKYA Newsletter
April 2014 All children with Special needs benefit from
LOVING HOME, EARLY INTERVENTION,
APPROPRIATE EDUCATION AND POSITIVE
ATTITUDE OF THE COMMUNITY
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11 2
Autism
What is autism? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of
complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social
impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted,
repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. Autistic
disorder, sometimes called autism or classical ASD, is the most
severe form of ASD, while other conditions along the spectrum
include a milder form known as Asperger syndrome, and childhood
disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder. What
are some common signs of autism? The hallmark feature of ASD is
impaired social interaction. As early as infancy, a baby with ASD
may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the
exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with ASD may
appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent
to social engagement. Children with an ASD may fail to respond to
their names and often avoid eye contact with other people. They
have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling
because they cant understand social cues, such as tone of voice or
facial expressions, and dont watch other peoples faces for clues
about appropriate behaviour. They may lack empathy. Many children
with an ASD engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and
twirling, or in self-abusive behaviour such as biting or
head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other
children and may refer to themselves by name instead of I or me.
Children with an ASD dont know how to play interactively with other
children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of
favourite topics, with little regard for the interests of the
person to whom they are speaking.
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
Music and Lyrics
3 .
Like tiny soldiers performing their tasks meticulously, each one
was carefully executing his/her plan. They assigned and split up
the work load evenly amongst themselves. A few cleared the
classroom by shifting the tables and chairs, piling them up neatly
in the corner. Others went and brought mats. A few others waited
patiently and as soon as the mats arrived, arranged them neatly on
the ground, parallel to one another. Then all of them sat in rows
all ready with eagerness glittering in their innocent eyes. All
these arrangements had been done in a matter of minutes for
Mrs.Swetha and Mrs.Chaitra, who had volunteered to take music
sessions at our school. As soon as they entered our class, our
children greeted them warmly with broad smiles. They were
overwhelmed by the welcome and without wasting any time the session
began. They started the session by chanting Om in sync with the
Sruthi and songs on Lord Ganesha and Lord Krishna followed. The
children sang melodiously and within a few minutes they had learnt
the songs by heart leaving everyone absolutely spellbound. The
session was lively as Mrs.Swetha and Mrs.Chaitra made it an
interactive one by asking questions, kindling their curiosity, to
which our children answered correctly in a jiffy. Instead of
teaching song after song, they made the session really informative
by explaining the importance of Sruthi, Thalam and Ragam to our
children. The most enjoyable part of the session was when they
taught a song on rain along with hand gestures. In addition they
also taught our children how to make rain sounds by clapping and
clicking fingers which our children thoroughly enjoyed. It was so
realistic that it felt like monsoon. One hour flew by and time had
come to end the music class. Our little super singers sang all the
songs once more and ended the session by chanting Om again. Our
children loved these songs so much that they even performed them on
our annual day function.
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Music session in progress
with Mrs.Chaitra and
Mrs.Swetha. Our little
super singers singing in
unison leaving everyone
spellbound.
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue # 11
It was the most awaited day of the year for AIKYA. The air was
filled with enthusiasm and energy. The green room was buzzing with
with cute, smart, and bright young faces running here and there.
Our champs were busy getting ready for the silver jubilee annual
day celebrations of AIKYA. The day began with a prayer to the
almighty followed by presentations on AIKYA and Early Intervention.
Lion K.S.Kannan, Lion. Venkatraman and Lion.D.Saivenugopal graced
the occasion. Mrs. Revathy Sankaran was the chief guest. Soon the
cultural part of the days program began and our little superstars
sang and danced stealing everyones hearts. In some of the dances
our boys dressed up like girls and deceived the audience with their
graceful moves. The event was tightly packed with a variety of
dance numbers and with help of highly efficient staff like
Mrs.Sumathy, Mrs.Manju, Mr.Kannan and Mrs.Kala costumes were
changed almost at the bat of an eyelid. Ms.R.Srilakshmi did the
compering for the program. Like a cherry on top of the cake, the
successful alumni of AIKYA Mr.Sriram, Mr.Shrinath, Mr.Ram Keerthi,
Mr.Prabhakar and Mr.Venkata Varadan were felicitated by the
dignitaries. Many parents shared their personal experiences with
AIKYA as to how AIKYA had transformed their childrens lives and in
turn their own lives. The lucky dip contest was also held and
prizes were given to the winners by Mrs.Revathy Sankaran. The event
was covered by newspapers like Mylapore Times. The day came to an
end with the prize distribution ceremony and prizes were given away
to all the children who had participated in the event.
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
Our Teachers
Art Corner
Ms. Shalini Ilanahai came to AIKYA as a full time volunteer on
July 2013. She has a bachelors degree in journalism and had worked
for esteemed newspapers like The Indian Express. She is fondly
known for her calm and composed nature. She is very soft spoken and
was always extremely patient with our children. She often used to
surprise our children by giving them little treats and chocolates.
Our children love taking trips to the park and going on shopping
expeditions with her. Her commitment and determination are
something worth mentioning. Apart from this she also helped draft
AIKYAs February newsletter which we are sure you loved. She has now
begun her journey towards another dream of pursuing her post
graduation degree in Singapore. AIKYA loves her and will miss a
wonderful teacher. We wish her the very best of luck in her future
endeavours.
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
Taare Zameen Par Volunteering experience at AIKYA
I came to know about AIKYA through one of its part time
volunteers Megha Rao. I was quite hesitant and wondered as to how I
could help teach special children. With a lot of doubts and
confusion I dialled Mrs.Parvathy Vishwanaths number. She asked me
to come in on the following Monday. My head was still filled with a
lot of unanswered questions as I reached the gate of AIKYA. I stood
for a few seconds staring at the board that hung there which read -
School for special needs. My train of thought was disturbed by a
polite excuse me from a cute young boy about ten or twelve years
old who was wearing neatly ironed uniform, his hair oiled and
combed. He held my hand and guided me to the visitors room and
asked me to sit there. I gaped at him only to realise that
Mrs.Parvathy was standing there. After a small briefing, I went in
to join the classroom. As soon as I sat there I was bombarded with
questions as to what my name was and if I was going to be their
teacher etc. The moment I told them I was going to be their
teacher, they all took out their notebooks and texts and told me
what they had learnt. I suddenly felt as though all the questions
in my head had been answered. My awe for these children further
increased when I saw them dance during their dance practice
sessions. Right from clearing the classroom and setting up the CD
player everything was done quickly and neatly. By the time I joined
AIKYA these children had already begun their practice for the
annual day celebrations. As I saw these children perform, all my
inhibitions were gone and without even me realising it I was
singing and dancing with them. It was quite a treat to see each
correcting the others dance moves while completely forgetting to
dance their parts in the meantime. On one of the occasions, I
danced a step out of turn and in no time I heard all of them
calling out to me in unison, correcting me. It became quite clear
as to how meticulously these children follow things. As the clock
struck 12.30 they put back the furniture and took out their
colourful lunch boxes. With their inquisitive eyes, they scanned
quickly what the other has brought. Sharing comes naturally to them
and by the end of each lunch hour they ensure that everyone
finishes their food. At the end of the day when a child leaves
he/she will definitely call out to every other person and bid good
bye. While some children constantly stare at the gate eagerly
waiting for their parents the others dont even bother to look.
AIKYA is
situated on a busy street where dozens of vehicles pass by. I
was absolutely stunned when they can identify the sound of their
auto amidst the chaotic traffic noise and without even having to
take a look they pack their bags and prepare to leave. This is the
picture of a typical day at AIKYA, however, I can assure you that
each day will teach you different things as these children never
cease to surprise you. One of the mornings as I hailed an auto to
go to school, the autowala asked for a ridiculous charge which
irritated me. Usually when such a bad mood sets in early in the
morning, it ruins my entire day but to my astonishment, the moment
I entered AIKYA and saw those lovely faces all my irritation and
anger disappeared into thin air. Having worked at other places I
know for sure that this wouldnt have happened to me anywhere else.
That is when I realised the kind of positive effect this place had
on me.
- Srilakshmi Ramaswamy
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
A Tribute
Many a times it happens that an individual engaged in community
based activities makes extra ordinary and outstanding contribution
in her/his chosen field. The beneficiaries themselves would be the
first ones to recognize and respect such an individual and shower
them their affection and attention. No matter what one does, this
is the pinnacle to ones sense of accomplishment: the worth of the
recognition being greater then awarded by the Government or any
other agency. All this just about sums up Ms. Parvathy Viswanath,
Founder Director, AIKYA, a school for special children.
It is, by no means, an easy task to embark upon servicing the
needs of these mentally handicapped children, especially so in
India where the parents of such disabled children keep their wards
behind veils of secrecy and so keep these wards beyond the reach of
assistance.
Twenty two years in any field of social service is a long term.
Such a long term is something to be celebrated, not only because of
it sustenance, but also because of continued commitment. AIKYA,
under Ms. Parvathy Viswanaths, direction and guidance is over 16
years old. One-point program or outreaching has AIKYA as an abode
of shelter, security and progress for MR children. They have for
the first time in their lives, found in Parvathy, a mother, a
mentor and a guide to shape a future that they can confidently
face.
Ms. Parvathys noble contribution towards special children is
complete and total. It is so in the sense that with her programs
she had made it easier for mentally disabled children to be
rehabilitated and to assume with dignity and honour their own place
in the society.
Ms. Parvathys efforts have particularly caught public attention
in one area which is in organizing mega events for the special
children whether it is cultural meet or a sports event, witness
Chennai Olympics. Her name is virtually synonymous with that
extraordinary event. It is quite amazing to observe her, bundles of
energy running around like an enthusiastic teen-ager in whatever
debut she takes up. It has been my privilege to be associated for
quite sometime now with this great lady. I always found her to be
quite receptive to new ideas and advice and never adopted I know it
all attitude that one usually comes from individuals of standing
and reputation in her chosen field.
Ms. Parvathy has an extended vision, she too has a goal to reach
with deep sincerity of purpose, that she pursues her objective with
a professional approach. Has she not made AIKYA a unique
institution, a genuine beacon of hope for so many children with
special needs.
Ms. Parvathy is not only an individual of outstanding merit but
also an institution by herself. Apart from AIKYA, Lions movement
has been close to her heart. She has contributed significantly to
Lions movement in community based activities, especially the
out-reaching programmes for the welfare of the Gypsies at
Kotturpuram. She achieved great success in that project while
others thought that it was impossible even to attempt it!
I value my association with Ms. Parvathy Viswanath as it was a
privilege, a unique privilege, I take pride in. It has a special
place in all of my social service activities to date and I wish her
the very best in all her endeavours and let God be with her all the
way!
Late K. Ramamurthy
President Bawani Memorial Trust . We miss him and keep moving
with his blessings
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
To All Who Are / Who Could be Concerned
Do you know?
Babies with Intellectual disability could be born to one of
thousands mothers
Infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years of age with delayed
development or at risk of having disabilities
benefit from Early Intervention Programs.
Children with delayed development especially children with
Autism benefit a lot by Sensory Integration
Therapy.
Children with ADHD need structure, simplified instructions and
positive handling.
Children wih Downs Syndrome learn through imitation.
Epileptic children need special medication & special
attention.
All children with special needs benefit from loving home, early
intervention, appropriate education and
positive attitude of the community.
Mentally retarded children are not mentally ill people.
Downs syndrome condition is caused by the presence of an extra
chromosome in some cells in the body.
Autistic children are not schizophrenic.
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders of movement and
posture.
ADHD Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder have
problems in learning, memory & attention.
Dyslexic children have problems in reading and writing.
Learning disabled children will have difficulty with the
mechanical aspects of writing and problems with
spelling, punctuation and handwriting.
What can I do?
Oh yes, you certainly can do a lot.
You would be helping parents of special children a great
deal
By showing understanding and acceptance
By offering to baby sit for a few hours in a month
By allowing special children to visit your home
By allowing your children to visit special children and play
with them
By understanding the value of, and need for interaction with
Special people
By giving them an opportunity for full participation in the life
of the community which is long overdue, a
basic human right that has often been denied to them.
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JAGRITHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #11
Jagrithi
About AIKYA
AIKYA aims to Improve and enhance functional capabilities of
persons with special needs like Autism, ADHD, DS and other Learning
Disorders. .
Early Intervention Programs for Children with delayed
development (0-3
Years)
School for children with ADHD, Autism, DS, Learning Disabilities
and Slow learners
Therapy services
Vocational training
Training in sports, music, dance, yoga, instrumental music
Training in computers
Recreation Centre with indoor sports and GYM
Work Centre for adults
Training and counseling for parents of children with special
needs
Short term training courses for parents and volunteers
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Do you want to volunteer with AIKYA?
Please call 9444960643 or mail to
[email protected]
Where are we located?
2/9, Karpagambal Nagar Main Road,
Luz, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 ; Mobile: 9444960643
Support
us : Volunteer / Donate / adopt a project / adopt a child Visit
our
Website: www.aikya.org Please Donate:
http://www.aikya.org/payment.asp
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April 2nd is observed as
world Autism Day
World Autism Awareness
Day
- has been held every year
since 9 September 1989.The
resolution had four main
components:
the establishment of 2 April as WAAD
participation of UN organizations, member states, NGOs and
all
private & public
organizations in
WAAD
raise awareness of autism on all levels in
society
to ask the UN Secretary- General to
deliver this message to
member states and all
other UN organs.