THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:With a mission to spread awareness about autism, the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan’s South Urban Resource Centre (URC) at Satram School, Fort, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a wide array of programmes. The dignitaries present at the occasion spoke about how we can help autistic children lead a normal life.
Mayor V K Prasanth said, “It is not only just the parents who should be responsible for the safety and security of these children but for each of us. I promise all support from the part of the Corporation.”
The centre has been providing different kinds of services such as speech therapy, physiotherapy, sensory integration therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy, behaviour modification, academic activities, training in band, dance and aerobics and counselling.
Known to be the first autism centre under the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan’s South Urban resource centre (URC), the school, started with just seven children, now provides training to around 82 autistic children with the help of four teachers.V S Sivakumar MLA, SSA chairman Unnikrishnan S and District panchayat president V K Madhu attended the function.
One-year programme
The one-year programme, Autcare-2018, aims to support autistic children by training them in various fields. “Through the programme, we intend to give the children all facilities so that we can make them ‘pupils of determination,” said A Najeeb, block programme officer, South URC. The year-long event will start this month with special programmes for each month. This includes ‘Ariyam Autism’ where awareness will be given to diagnosing the children at the right time.
‘Enne Ariyam’ is a data bank of autistic children which will help in their further treatment while ‘Aut Kids’ is a specially-designed workbook for autistic children. ‘Thalolam’ talks about extending the facilities and training available in the centres at their houses while ‘Ayanam’ is about visiting other autism centres and implementing those activities here.
Other programmes include ‘Vismaya’ aimed at bringing autism children to the forefront by giving them classes in painting, paper bag making and other skill development activities while ‘Sangamam’ enables families of autistic children to get together with other families so that they can socialise.
The programme will also include sports, arts and tours. Seminars will be held for parents and a short film throwing light on the URC will also be brought out.
The centre also plans to start a sensory stimulation park in front of the autism centre to help children with the dysfunctional sensory system, which makes them hypersensitive to stimuli. An amount of Rs 1:20 crore has been earmarked for the same.