KOCHI: The student community in the state are in for a long vacation and listicles on activities to engage them are doing the rounds. But for the differently-abled student community who are missing out on therapy sessions, the lockdown puts forth various challenges. According to Parivaar, an association of parents of differently-abled children, the district has around 2,500 students availing education in special schools. Over 90 per cent of these students require various forms of therapy throughout the year. Many of them receive year-round physiotherapy, speech therapy and behavioural therapy.
“Dealing with children with special needs becomes more challenging as they reach teenage. The hormonal change usually makes it difficult for parents to manage them. Hence, many parents rely on behavioural and occupational therapy classes to keep them engaged throughout the years,” said Indu, district secretary of Parivaar. “But parents with basic knowledge in therapies manage to engage the kids at home,” she added.
The organisation has also come out with their list of activities to engage the kids.
However, the parents of differently-abled children with hyperactivity, burn out during the lockdown, since the prospect of engaging these children within homes can be daunting. Many of them depends on weekly outings to expend the energy of their wards.
Adding to the woes is the low immunity of these children. “The prospect of isolation is scary since the majority of these children are not capable of staying alone. There have to be facilities to isolate the children with their parents and the government has to see to that,” said Maya P S, another member of Parivaar.
Special education
According to Parivaar, an association of parents of differently-abled children, the district has around 2,500 students in special schools. Over 90 per cent of them require various forms of therapy throughout the year.