Special sessions for special children

CRC, Davangere, goes digital and ensures that those with cerebral palsy do not miss out on therapy sessions

When lockdown was enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Prakash, an electrician from Harapanahalli, was worried about continuation of the treatment and training for his four-year-old son suffering from cerebral palsy at the Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (CRC), Davangere.

But to his relief, CRC has successfully employed digital platforms to ensure continuity in therapeutic training for children having disabilities. Mr. Prakash told The Hindu that, he was taking his son to CRC, Davangere, for physiotherapy sessions twice a week. In addition to physiotherapy, his son is attending speech therapy and occupational therapy sessions here. “Each session is important for assimilating the child into the mainstream. I was worried that my son would miss the training at CRC owing to the lockdown as restrictions were imposed on vehicular movement. Fortunately, there is continuity in therapeutic rehabilitation as the experts at the CRC are sharing the videos related to physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapies on WhatsApp,” he said.

Gnanavel K., director of CRC, Davangere, told

The Hindu that therapeutic rehabilitation service and special education is offered for persons with 21 different forms of disabilities at the centre. It is under the administrative control of National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Secunderabad, that functions under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. More than 1,800 persons with disabilities are enrolled here. The services are offered free of cost for the economically weaker families while a nominal fee is charged for others.

He said that as each session is important in assimilating the children into the mainstream, it was decided to ensure continuity in therapeutic rehabilitation. The videos of the occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech therapy were shared with the parents via WhatsApp. The videos included exercises on gaining control over the head and neck, balancing, sitting postures, and developing fine motor skills. The parents were asked to install video chat apps on their mobile phone for live demonstrations of some exercises. The worksheets and drawings necessary to teach elementary language and mathematical skills for such students were sent on the mobile phone. The parents were also taught on preparing the teaching materials at home, he said.

Sunanda (name changed), a private school teacher from Chitradurga and mother of a three-year-old spastic child, told The Hindu that the parents of children with disabilities are highly dependent on the rehabilitation professionals. The parents need training on minute aspects such as feeding the children and making them to chew the food. “During the lockdown period, we are receiving video, audio and written updates from CRC, Davangere, regularly through the smartphone,” she said.