Director’s Message
We have had an eventful four months into the year 2022 with milestones, big and small. Towards the end of 2021 we were able to start off with multiple projects such as the Employability Training Program for Young Adults on the Autism spectrum and the Ongoing intervention for school-going children with minimal to mild autistic features. We have been seeing steady progress in both the programs and are making a positive impact on many families with individuals on the spectrum. The trainees of the Employability Training Program completed Level 1 of their training on the 2nd of April 2022. Level 2 of the training for 3-6 months on job-specific skills started on the 6th of April 2022. April, being World Autism Awareness month, was an opportunity to not only celebrate the Autism community, but advocate for priorities and changes that makes acceptance real. CADRRE has put earnest efforts in creating and initiating a cultural impact in terms of how our society views Autism. CADRRE Autism Awareness Walkathon saw the participation of more than 150 of us walking in blue celebrating our autistic loved ones and fostering a society of autism awareness, acceptance, and appreciation. We also shared a message each day of the month to let the world know of the strengths of the Autism community and to better understand Autism.
One such step was our project partnering with Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) to create PAY AUTENTION, an online platform aimed at empowering parents/caregivers, Anganwadi workers and teachers to be the primary therapists and provide early intervention to their children with Autism and improve the core deficits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We at CADRRE have shared our learnings and resources for this project that has the potential to reach every individual in this country who is in need of authentic information and understanding on Autism. CADRRE will be associating with TPCDT to bring about informative videos on Autism and will be conducting webinars wherein our team members and other experts will be talking on various topics on ASD.
We are also nearing the completion of setting up our new initiative – The Artism Studio, project dedicated towards showcasing and celebrating the special talents of individuals on the spectrum by providing them avenues to take their art and craft to a larger audience. Through the sale of every artwork, students earn royalties and learn to appreciate the value of financial independence.
As we walk this path of empowering, enabling and celebrating the Autism community, my team would like to extend our gratitude to our donor patrons SunTec Business solutions, UST Global and donor Vishal Nevatia of True North for their invaluable support.
I hope all our students have a fruitful and engaging summer vacation and that parents are able to spend quality time with their children.
– G. Vijaya Raghavan, Hon. Director CADRRE
US CONSUL GENERAL’S VISIT TO CADRRE
U.S. Consul General Ms. Judith Ravin visited the CADRRE centre at PMG on the 31st of March 2022. As the Consul General in Chennai, she is responsible for advancing U.S-India relations in the consular jurisdiction covering Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the three Union Territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. Ms. Judith was accompanied by the U.S. Consulate’s Cultural Affairs Officer Mr. Scott Hartmann and Press and Media Coordinator Mr. Nelson Paul.
Ms. Judith interacted with the team at CADRRE and students in the pre-school and junior classes. Ms. Judith was happy to know that we were able to establish connections and contacts with some of the best institutes and minds in the USA in the field of Autism such as the Semel Institute for Neuroscience at University of California Los Angeles, Massachusetts General Hospital, Chan Division of Occupational Therapy at University of Southern California, Stanford Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, and have been able to adapt and adopt some of their best practices.
Mr. G Vijaya Raghavan, Hon. Director of CADRRE, shared the experiences we have had in hosting two well received international conferences on Autism which saw 17 eminent speakers from the USA share their work, experience and research findings in Autism.
Ms. Judith assured us of her support in further connecting with the best institutions and minds in the area of Autism in the USA to help us collate, learn and imbibe their best practices while enhancing the curriculum for the students at CADRRE.
ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Three more professionals have joined the CADRRE family. Please join us in welcoming them.
Aardra S A
Occupational Therapist
Aathma S A
Occupational Therapist
Amrutha Venugopal
Psychologist
CADRRE AUTISM AWARENESS CADRREWALKATHON 2022
On the 2nd of April 2022, at the CADRRE center at Sasthamangalam, the air pulsed with the enthusiasm and energy of the team giving the last touches of colours to the placards that they had created for the Autism Awareness walkathon! Some of the placards read, ‘I do not suffer from Autism, but I do suffer from the way you treat me’, ‘Autism is one word describing a million stories.
Every child, every individual with Autism, is unique and so is their struggle, challenges and milestones. Some might be newly diagnosed with Autism, some might be struggling to find the interventions that work for them, some might not have the support from their family or friends, some might be exhausted with the search for techniques that work for their child, some might be excited of their child’s new milestone, some might be confident about their child becoming independent while some might have not yet reached there.
But wherever we are in this journey, we are all united in our aim to seek out a change -a change that can greatly transform the lives of individuals on the spectrum. There would not be much that we can do individually to help these families, but together we can do little things that go a long way in making their lives brighter and less difficult! And it starts by understanding their stories.. to understand what autism really is and the strengths and challenges that come with it! To urge you all to do that, we started small. All of us, a sea of blue, walked from the Sasthamangalam centre towards The Artism Studio, a distance of 3 kms. Awaiting for us at the Tagore centenary hall were all our students with their families, braving the cloudy weather, to walk the rest of the way together giving the message for the need for acceptance and inclusion.
Most individuals on the spectrum are not comfortable with crowded places or roads, the constant honking or loud noises from vehicles, but they chose to accept the difficulties as they wanted you, me and all of us to create a world where their differences are not just accepted but respected, where inclusion is not an afterthought but a necessity.
PRESENTATION BY MEMBERS OF TEAM CADRRE FOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Members of our team, Nandita Nayer and Vrinda Vijay – Psychologists, Anuja Sudheer – Speech Language Pathologist, and
Rachna Dhinakaran – Occupational Therapist, presented their research findings at the “Global Brown Bag Presentation” of
University of Southern California as part of their global outreach initiatives.
The presentation titled “Are online interventions effective for my child with ASD? A review of online interventions for preprimary and primary aged children with ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic” elaborates upon the various stages of online intervention undertaken at CADRRE during the pandemic period such as group sessions for parents via web-based interactions, pre-recorded video classes and individual online classes. These intervention techniques gave us valuable insights on building integrative interdisciplinary teams and the need for being
flexible with our methods. Even though these methods of learning evolved as a response to the pandemic, they can be considered as an add-on to the conventional ways of therapy. Online therapy has the potential to reach a larger audience so that children do not miss out on early intervention due to long wait-times and inaccessibility to services, or to access best services around the globe. This mode of intervention also has the potential to close service gaps in rural areas. Click here to watch the presentation.
LAUNCH OF PAY AUTENTION – A DIFFERENT MIND IS A GIFTED MIND
2nd of April 2022 marked the launch of ‘PAY AUTENTION- A Different Mind is a Gifted Mind’, Tata Power’s initiative in collaboration with CADRRE which aims to empower families & caregivers of people with neuro-developmental disabilities. This initiative shall pave the way for small towns and rural India to access specialized care and support and help create an auxiliary network of champions for the differently abled. This platform shall also enable mentoring, skilling & meaningful livelihoods for people with Autism.
The launch address was by Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons followed by a brief of the program by Dr. Praveer
Sinha, CEO & MD Tata Power. Mr. G. Vijaya Raghavan, Hon. Director CADRRE, spoke more about the program in detail. Mr. Ranveer Saini, sports person, autism champion and first Indian golfer with Autism to win gold at Special Olympics World Games shared his journey with Autism. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Abilities, Disabilities and Need for Multi-sectoral Enablers’. To watch the recorded session of the event please click here for PAY AUTENTION website.
UP TO SPEED
This section gives you the latest updates regarding various interventions, activities/ progress of our students.
Pre- Schoolers
Children from 3-6 years of age
The last term of this academic year was an experimental phase for the team. Maintaining sustained attention and sitting tolerance had emerged as a big challenge when the children returned to school after the pandemic. The team decided to adopt a sensory integration-based model of intervention where physical activities such as playing in the park and sensory integration activity designed by the Occupational Therapist was provided right at the beginning of the day at school. A remarkable progress in attention was noticed. Parents were also given a home plan incorporating similar activities which was monitored by the team.
The last term of this academic year was an experimental phase for the team. Maintaining sustained attention and sitting tolerance had emerged as a big challenge when the children returned to school after the pandemic. The team decided to adopt a sensory integration-based model of intervention where physical activities such as playing in the park and sensory integration activity designed by the Occupational Therapist was provided right at the beginning of the day at school. A remarkable progress in attention was noticed. Parents were also given a home plan incorporating similar activities which was monitored by the team.
Juniors
Children from 6 -9 years of age
Peer group interaction is very minimal for children on the spectrum, but we are gradually noticing an initiation for interaction among them. The children are now aware of their classmates and the need to interact with each other. Some children have started to use names of their classmates. When they do the visual schedule in the morning, once the child is done with his turn, he understands that it is his friend’s turn, and he calls him by name to come and change the visual schedules. It is indeed heartening to see our children who find communication to be very challenging move past such challenges. Some others have started using the first letter of their friend’s name.
Another remarkable improvement we have seen in our children are the changes brought about by group therapy/ intervention in a class setting; they now share their snacks and take initiative to feed each other using a spoon and are enjoying interactions with their classmates.
We implemented customised behavioural modification plans for children having behavioural issues. Instructions were given to parents to follow this up at home too. This has brought noteworthy improvements in the children.
All facilitators and therapists from all disciplines have started incorporating Avaz (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) in their sessions, this helped greatly in their communication. Children have started to respond and express their feelings using Avaz when they are asked questions such as, how do you feel now, what do you need, what do you like, etc.
We had started some sensory activities for children with sensory difficulties before the classes start to make them calm and increase their sitting tolerance to complete their activities. This was done by the Occupational Therapists. Children seem calmer and more attentive for the whole day and are able to complete activities without constant disruptions.
Another activity we have introduced is circle time, during the last hour every Friday, when all the children sit together and play musical chairs and other games. This makes them happy and look forward to coming back to school after the weekend with the same energy and excitement.
Pre- Teens
Children from 10-12 years of age
Most of the students in the preteen group are being continuously trained by the Speech Language Pathologist in using Avaz for communication. In addition to Avaz, an app that can turn an IOS or android device into a Voice Generating Device, we also started using PicSeePal for 2 students. PicSeePal is a low-tech communication tool, a simple and flexible tool to work with, away from the complexities of technology. As a support to Avaz and as a standalone device, the students were able to use it
effectively for communicating their basic needs and choices.
The story reading sessions were taken a step further this term with one story being read out for a week or two (depending on how lengthy the story is) and a variety of activities designed around the story. Worksheets were created to ensure the student’s comprehension of the story, the characters, the sequence and so on. A few of the stories that the students liked were- The Smartest Giant in Town, Ammachi’s Amazing Machines, Brown Bear, what do you See?. It was amazing to watch the characters from the Jungle book- Mowgli, Kaa nd Bhageera come to life in Gyan’s imagination.
Teens
Children from 15-18 years of age
At the beginning of this term, the teen group students were mainly engaged in preparing an order of decoupaged phone stands, for which two of the students (Evan and Ruwi) received a token of appreciation for their work, during the Autism Awareness Day celebration. Along with other activities, they also had an opportunity to join in with the trainees of the Employability Training Program during their culinary sessions and it was a good experience for them. As we come to the end of an unusual school year, we wish to appreciate all the efforts taken by each parent to support their children and the staff during the online and offline sessions through this academic year. As always, we have enjoyed preparing every session for our dear children, and we look forward to welcoming them back in the new academic year.
ART CORNER
Teerth
Pre Schoolers
Teen group
Junior group
Aadil
Pre Teen
Devavrathan
Juniors
Haseeb
Pre Teen
VISHU & EASTER CELEBRATIONS AT CADRRE
This time we had double fun and celebrations as we celebrated Vishu and Easter together! Vishu is the time of the year when nature is at her prettiest, adorned with rich golden yellow flowers (The kanikonna, Cassia Fistula or Indian Laburnum) and prepares for new beginnings with light summer showers . And Easter the time of the year when the world prepares to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
We at CADRRE celebrated Vishu and Easter by truly imbibing the spirit of these holy events. We prepared the Vishu kani together, decorated traditionally in a brass vessel, with all types of seasonal fruits and grains, a piece of the traditional Kerala kasavu, a few coins, gold, an idol of lord Krishna, a mirror and the yellow flowers. All our students brought an item from their homes, a fruit, a vegetable or cereal for setting up the vishu kani and this way all the families became a part of our celebrations.
CADRRE Employability Program featured in The Hindu
Autism Support Network featured in The Free Press Journal
Autism Support Network featured in ET Healthworld.com
