BHUBANESWAR: Parents and caregivers of children with special needs should prepare an early financial plan and maintain a written list of reliable contacts, including family members, neighbours and medical professionals, who can assist during emergencies, said journalist and neurodiversity advocate Mugdha Kalra.
Addressing a live podcast on ‘The Role of Primary Care Givers for Neurodivergent Children’ at KIIT International School recently, she said, “Dedicated savings bucket for therapies, insurance riders that explicitly cover developmental treatments and early legal consultation to arrange guardianship documents should be planned early.”
She said a hand-written list of reliable supporters-family members, neighbours, school allies and medical contacts also proves helpful in emergencies. “Clarity is cheaper than confusion,” she said, while advising parents to begin planning while their children are still young.
Sharing her own story with the parents, special educators and therapists from KIITIS SEN Globe, the department of Special Educational Needs, and neighbouring schools, she recalled how the earliest months after her son Madhav was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age of three, felt like learning a new language while still trying to soothe a crying child.
During the podcast, Kalra also asked the mothers and caregivers of the children, needing special care, to focus on their health as well. She also demonstrated how visual schedules and AAC techniques give children “more words than their mouths may manage”.
Chairperson of KIIT International School Mona Lisa Bal, who also took part in the live podcast, said academic inclusivity is only one part. “Real inclusion happens when children eat together in the dining hall, play side-by-side on the playground, and help each other in art class. That is what makes a community truly inclusive,” she added.