Parents of specially-abled children learning new ways to help them cope

When the lockdown was announced Hanumat Khandagale moved from his home in Borivli to live with the Godboles in Andheri West Khandagale is an educator for special children and the Godboles have known him for five years now Their son Nihar a 37yearold with autism had been attending special sessions conducted by KhandagleNihars father is Achyut Godbole a wellknown Marathi writer The 70yearold explains that while they have been involving their son in household chores the lockdown period has proven rather difficultNihar has been helping with household chores since he was a child After all chores such as cleaning coriander or sorting vegetables or clothes are activities that can boost handeye coordination and other cognitive abilities Cleaning the house or helping parents in other activities also develops a sense of belongingness in differently abled people And now all these habits are really helping us keep him calm and engaged says Achyut Yet the extended period of not being able to step out of the house can be difficult on those with cognitive disabilities Keeping them calm during this period is a challenge As the Godboles are senior citizens Khandagale has moved base temporarily to help them handle Nihar physicallyBhandup resident Sunita Sharma had a rough time explaining to her autistic son Satyam why he couldnt step out until she showed him the empty streets and closed shopsKhandagale who has been working with Dhanyawad Divyang Foundation in Borivli for the last few years has family outside of Mumbai He says I could take this step as I do not have to take much responsibility of my family It is not possible for all special educators when already there are so few people working in this sector Nihar is completely selfdependant But if he gets angry or throws tantrums I can help keep him calmWhile the lockdown is posing several social challenges it has been particularly difficult for families with speciallyabled persons for whom a disruption in routine can often throw things out of gearSpending a few hours each day at the special education centre not only allowed the children to engage in different activities and work on their selfdependence it also allowed their parents time to get along with their own work And even as the parents are finding it difficult to explain the lockdown to their children a bigger task is to keep them busy so that they are mentally stable active and happy Some of Mumbais schools have started online sessions with fun activities and counselling sessions via video calls but the formula doesnt work on all children as some require customised inperson interactionArchana Rao cofounder of Cheerful Connect that works for inclusion in education and has a large digital presence says The challenges begin from coexistence in one house In many families there are members who are not always home now present all the time This can be a difficult scenario for special children to adjust to Temper tantrums and other behavioural changes are bound to take place especially when expert provided specially designed therapy sessions are not available Many of them also have sensitivity issues such as those related to the skin making it difficult for them to understand the need to continually wash handsIts the sudden proximity of family members thats rocking the life of the Bhandupbased SharmasSunita Sharmas twinsmdash23yearold Satyam and Shivammdashhave autism It was a difficult task to make Satyam understand why he is not allowed to go out But when I showed him the outside world through the window he could sense the difference as the roads were empty shops were shut and he could not see anybody It takes time but they do understand One just has to find novel ways she saysWhile Shivam has made great progressmdashfrom not being able to talk till he was six years old to completing his graduation and now workingmdashSatyam needs constant care The initial few days were very difficult as Satyam would not let his father be around for the entire day On normal days Satyam would meet his father once in a day in the morning By the time he returned Satyam was asleep Now due to the lockdown my husband is home 247 Satyam finds it difficult to adjust to this My husband had to spend the first few days in isolation inside his bedroom she laughsFarida Asrani principal of Child Reach School in Santa Cruz West reiterates the importance of involving specially abled children in household chores which are not dangerous and are also good learning tools Many of the students who come to us dont have Internet at home So our teachers have developed ways to keep them busy by training their parents to do different activities including art craft and performance37Nihar Godboles age While he is selfdependant he needs to be kept engagedCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates