A HOME FOR THE ‘SPECIAL CHILDREN’

Chennai, March, 26: It is a humid Thursday afternoon and the Swabhimaan is abuzz with activities. There is a small room where the kids are engrossed with their paintings and games. Light music can be heard from another room. This is the way these ‘special children’ are taught in Swabhimaan, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) committed towards the holistic development of children with Autism.

The World Autism Week is around the corner, that is, 2^nd April and Swabhimaan plans a lot of events and awareness camps in this month. “We are planning to release a few books in the end of April”, informs Dr. P.K. Partheeban.

The director/founder of Swabhimaan Dr. P.K. Partheeban (also a doctor) appears very passionate to talk about the problems faced by the children and the kind of education given to them.

He says that he has seen just 2-3 cases where an autistic adult has found a partner and most of them are ‘near normal’ when it comes to the intensity of Autism. “Finding a partner is difficult as they cannot relate and express themselves. When it comes to sexuality, there is not much participation and the other partner has to engage more”, he says.

“It is not a very good idea to meet the children now or to see them work as they are very sensitive to new situations and faces and it might make them stressful” says Dr.Partheevan.

He is quite committed to the welfare of the children and he informs that he went to do his Masters in the Scotland University to study this specific course on Autism and mental health.

He says that, “People look at disability in terms of physical incapability but an autistic person is physically ‘normal’, so it is invisible and hence the common man is seldom aware of it Swabhimaan runs a school for ‘special children’ and incorporates different strategies to educate them. They also conduct awareness programmes for the autistic children and train their teachers.

According to Ms. Kumari, teacher and administrator, says that the children have mood swings, inner upheavals, sensitivity towards new situations and socialisation. As each child is different the ways to engage them will vary, she says.

Just outside the NGO, there are many colourful cycles, tables and a swing for the children. 

“Extracurricular activities are emphasized and incorporated in into the methods of teaching and it is required for an all round development”, says Kumari.

Partheeban says that, “these children lack social skills like communication, organisation and socialisation. Hence they are often misunderstood and neglected. Empathy is more important rather than sympathy”. 

He informs that inclusive education is still a dream in our country. In western countries the school is the same for the ‘normal and the special’ children. The filtering is done only at the level of course designing or syllabus but the classroom is one.

Autistic persons remained absorbed in their own world as their central processing activity in the brain is delayed. Awareness and empathy are important factors which can make them a part of our society.