THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Parents of children with special needs need not worry about their kids' therapy sessions being disrupted due to the lockdown. Two major institutions for children with special needs, under the State Social Justice Department, have kept the channel of communication open with the students and parents.
The National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NIPMR), Thrissur, has brought out a number of online resources, including videos, through which parents can carry out some of the therapies using simple household items. The videos are posted on the social media pages of the institution and also
sent via WhatsApp to parents.
NIPMR that caters to nearly 200 children offers speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, behavioural therapy and psycho therapy aimed at comprehensive rehabilitation of the students. There are two schools within NIPMR - one for children with cerebral palsy and another for autistic children.
The institution was offering intensive programmes ranging from one-month to three-month duration for children from other districts when the lockdown was announced, bringing an abrupt end to the sessions.
"The lockdown came as a major blow not only to children enrolled in the two schools but also to those from other districts who visit the institution for therapy. It is to ensure uninterrupted support to them that we have come out with the online resources," said C Chandrababu, joint director of NIPMR.
Constant support
Meanwhile, National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) in Thiruvananthapuram has set up a round-the-clock helpline for counselling and clarification of doubts. NISH provides therapy to over 200 people with speech and hearing disabilities.
"Since we cater to people with speech and hearing disabilities, our 24x7 helpline includes a team of health workers, sign language experts and NISH faculty," said Daisy Sebastian, who manages the NISH helpline service. The institute's online classes are going on uninterrupted and after the lockdown, therapy has been converted to online mode.