Parents told to be aware of special children’s needs

“It is important for parents to know about autism”

March 02, 2014 11:47 am | Updated May 19, 2016 05:44 am IST - MADURAI:

K. Geetha, Director, PRAVAAG centre, addressing a  session of 'Win Autism' workshop in Madurai on Saturday. Photo: R. Ashok

K. Geetha, Director, PRAVAAG centre, addressing a session of 'Win Autism' workshop in Madurai on Saturday. Photo: R. Ashok

“It is important for parents to know about autism and be an expert on their child affairs. Educate yourselves on your child’s needs and contribute to their development,” said K. Geetha, Director of PRAVAAG, Transitional centre for Children with Autism, at a ‘Win Autism’ workshop held at the Gandhi Memorial Museum here on Saturday.

The day-long workshop was organised by Sparks Vidyalaya, a school for autistic children and Association of Parent for Persons affected by Autism (AAPPAA). It brought together the parents of autistic children and special educators working with autistic children in the city. Ms. Geetha emphasised that it was important for parents to be “able to diagnose” their children early.

“Many parents notice symptoms of autism in their children and wait to see if they will outgrow the problems, which is wrong. Early intervention is effective since it will speed up development and work towards reducing symptoms of autism,” she said.

There are 15 schools in the district that cater to the needs of special children. Andavar P. Jaidev, founder of Sparks Vidyalaya School, said: “Madurai district has more than 400 autistic children.

There is a lack of awareness about autism among officials. Special schools and centres have inadequate infrastructure.

“The AAPPAA was formed so that we could come together and represent the children and people with autism who need such facilities and we are planning to approach the Social Welfare Department for the same,” he said.

Sessions on speech therapy and communication and understanding of sensory issues in children with autism were held by resource persons from the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities, Chennai.

C.K. Dhanapandian, who spoke to the parents about management of challenging and emotional problems in children with autism, said a group approach towards addressing issues related to autism proved to be effective and it was a step towards societal inclusion. “It is very important for parents to be exposed to such multi-disciplinary sessions concerning their children since most often they are unaware of how to deal with emotional and communication related issues,” Mr Dhanapandian said while speaking on the sidelines of the workshop.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.