DONATE

The first 3 years of life are critical for the development of a child. Satya Special School’s Early Childhood Programme combines the speed of early identification through the new-born high-risk clinic and the efficacy of services through the Early Intervention Centre (EIC) for the optimal development of the child.

New Born High Risk Clinic
Early Intervention Centre

New Born High Risk Clinic

Satya runs a New Born High Risk clinic at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) where at-risk children susceptible to developmental delay are identified and appropriate intervention is then started at JIPMER itself. This is a one-of-a-kind centre and the only one providing such services in Pondicherry.

Partnering with the public health system is imperative to ensure screening at appropriate times, so that children with special needs and able to access therapy as early as possible.

Early Intervention Centre

Satya’s EIC provides personalized child- specific intervention facilities, with the parents and special educators on board. A professional team comprising a special educator, early interventionist, physiotherapist, neurodevelopment therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and psychologist assess the child for their present condition, and draws up a personalized rehabilitation programme in consultation with the parents.

Satya’s group therapy sessions with the mother and sibling programs have found to be very helpful for CWSNs to bond with other members of the family.

Statistics

18

months

Average age when a rural child is first diagnosed

125

children

screened every month at the New Born High Risk Clinic

2

days

Youngest baby served at Satya

News & Events
Success stories

It takes a village to become inclusive!

Inclusive anganwadi inaugurated in United Way-supported Satya project

Inclusive Pre-School

One of our long standing dream has been to start an Inclusive Pre- School in a rural area so as to ensure both early identification and intervention. This dream was fulfilled by the Partnership with Sristi foundation.

Doing it the other way round; Sai Yuvishka

“It was a struggle to keep up with her,” says Sai Yuviksha’s mother, Samundeswari. A child with multiple disabilities, Sai joined Satya Special School as a 3-year-old girl, just before the lockdown. When she joined Satya, she would walk fast, without even looking at what was in front of her. She wouldn’t sit in one place and would keep moving around during school. She never maintained eye contact, and would be lost in her own world. She wouldn’t respond to commands either. “Her mother used to do everything for her,” says J. Vasuki, her class teacher. Satya’s goal was to get Sai to perform her own Activities of Daily Living (ADL), which were all done by her single mother. After many therapy sessions, Sai now sits in one place for some time, and recognizes and communicates with her friends, albeit minimally. She is on her way to be able to take care of her own ADLs. One of the major challenges was to get her to suck liquids from a glass, one of the building blocks of self-feeding. When the teacher realized that in Sai’s mind “Suck” meant “Spit” and vice versa, she changed her technique: instead of getting her to change her understanding, Vasuki just changed the language. She would say “suck” when she wanted her to spit and “spit” when she wanted her to suck! It has worked so well! This, at a micro level, exemplifies what we are trying to do: changing ourselves so that people with disabilities can fit in, and not the other way around!

Changing our approach; Harris Mohammed

When his class teacher, P. Selvi, took a day off, Harris Mohammed, now 7, did not just let her enter the class. “Why didn’t you come yesterday?” he quizzed her. Even during COVID, if Satya’s online class would be cancelled, he would not like it at all. We’ll naturally miss him once he enters a mainstream school! Harris came to Satya Special School as a 9-month-old baby with cerebral palsy. At that point, his body was mostly limp and his head would not stand either. At Satya, we gave Harris appropriate physical, occupational, and speech therapy, along with academic support. Harris, whose father is a driver, is now able to sit and stand, and walk with support, something that seemed impossible when he came to Satya. “We are so happy when we see him graduate to the next level,” says Selvi. He has caught up in academics, nearly, and is able to add numbers in his head. With intense speech therapy, he is also able to speak short words. He is now in our school readiness program and will soon be integrated into a mainstream school. Harris is proof that for many children with disabilities, the problem is that we expect them to express their thoughts in a particular way, and not in their capacity.

Early Intervention