HYDERABAD: It started with regular schools rejecting Madhavi Adimulam’s autistic son, who had special needs. She then quit her plum job to completely focus on fulfilling her son’s special needs. It led to her starting a full-fledged centre to teach kids with special needs. Now, Madhavi’s perseverance has not only enabled her son to become a musician, but has also provided to new lease of life to scores of other students who learn at the three branches of her centre.
After Varun, aged two, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2000, Madhavi could not find any school where her son could learn to communicate with others. She ended up enrolling him in a regular school, but the teachers there said they were not able to teach Varun.
This made the 49-year-old resign her plum job in a reputed tech firm from the IT sector, in which she had worked for 10 years, to completely dedicate her life for her son and look after him. “I cannot sit in the office knowing my son is struggling with this disorder and not able to get proper lessons for his growth,” she said.
In 2007, she started Ananya Child Development and Early Intervention Centre in an independent house and hired a teacher to teach speech therapy and behavioural training to her son -- the only student of the centre at the time. Today, this centre has spread to three branches in Madhapur, Banjara Hills and Khajaguda, which focus on conducting therapies for children affected by autism, learning disabilities and developmental delays.
“We always deliver measurable outcomes for children with developmental delays and special needs through integration of specialist therapies, parent support training. Before Covid-19, around 200 kids with autism used to attend classes to overcome learning disorders, social or behavioural difficulties, shyness and social isolation,” Madhavi said.
Madhavi is a Certified Auditory Integration Therapist and has worked in schools for children with special needs in the UK. “There is a lack of awareness in our country on autism. Just like others, those suffering with this disorder also have special talents, but their true potential cannot be realised. After undergoing different therapies, my son became independent and became a musician by defying the odds,” she said.
40 STAFFERS
The centres specialise in treating children of all ages affected by psychiatric disorders such as ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning difficulties etc. There 40 teaching and non-teaching staff who offer training in art and play therapy, school readiness etc.