Need details of an Experienced &Good Special educator

Hi
If you give me a general idea of the child's needs (is the area of focus language/cognitive/social/pragmatic/behavioral/academic? what is the child's age?) I can direct you accordingly.
R

 

Hi there,
Glad to pass on the info There are a fair number of options for a child with Cerebral Palsy in Chennai.
If your friend is looking for someone who will work on academic/pre-academic/cognitive skills then try these two places for spl. ed teachers.

There is Vidyasagar in Kotturpuram which caters to the needs of children with CP along with other disabilities. As your friend's child is already in a regualr montessori school I'm assuming she is not looking at a special school. The teachers at Vidyasagar used to do private practice (atleast a while ago). So ask your friend to contact the office and find out if they continue to do so. Depending on your friend's location, they can connect her with a teacher who lives nearby. A good contact person would be Shrimathi Lakshminarayanan who oversees their inclusion program.

Another contact is Sheeba Anand who is in charge of the state rehabilitation and training centre in KK Nagar (across from Udhayam Theatre). She is a speech therapist by training. She is in charge of the centre and therefore comes in contact with a wide range of professionals. She can help identify someone to suit your friend's needs and location. Tuesday is a bad day to reach her as it is the day that they recieve applications for the state registration card for children/adults with disabilities. Any other day should be fine.

Another piece of info-the state govt has a scheme by which a child with qualifying degree of disability can be eligible for a stipend. That is done at the state rehab centre in KK. Nagar. There are some stipulations to that-Parents have to go with the child, copy and orginal ration card, birth certificate and 4 passport size photos (not sure if this is the exact number). The child is assessed by a group of professionals to see if he/she is eligible (needs to be under a certain IQ limit). Your friend may or may not require the stipend but if she gets the id card it helps with transportation costs and eligibility in other areas. Also, as the program widens to cover other areas there will be benefits to that.

A word of caution-at this point it is mostly for children who definitely fall under the M.R bracket. So if this child has no intellectual impairment he/she won't be eligible for it. It's a good idea to keep checking if the criterion changes. This registration is done on Tuesdays starting at 9:30. It is packed as people come from far and near. So it's a good idea to be prepared

I will check to see if phone numbers can be given out let you know. If not, then your friend can get the nmbers of these centers and ask for the corresponding person.

Hope this helps.
Rama

 

Hi Geena,

From what you say, I think the child will benefit from the servces of a speech therapist-to work on articulation and fluency. I know that Sheeba has private practice in Anna Nagar. If this is not convenient for your friend, then she should ask Sheeba for other qualified therapists near her neighbourhood.

The tricky part is that not all people calling themselves therapists are actually qualified. Some people are known to advertise as therapists when infact all they know is what they learned while sitting in on their child's sessions with an SLP. (They work on the same procedures no matter what the child's need). Unfortunately there is no able central body which prevents such malpractice. I have asked for Sheeba's work number-will pass it on as soon as I hear from her.
Rama

 

Hi Geena,
Sorry it took me so long to get this number-it is (044)24742479. This is the number for the State Rehab and Training Centre in K.K. Nagar. Your friend can talk to Sheeba and get appropriate information.

Hope this helps.
Rama

 

Hi Geena,

Yes I am a special ed. teacher and I network with my former coworkers when I go home (atleast twice a year).
Rama