puneet supa report
TRANSCRIPT
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A sensitive and socially inclined project of this nature not only demands for dedication
towards the work at hand and love for humanity but also calls for encouragement, support andthoughtful help and insights from various quarters.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor J. Philip, President of XIME,
with a special note of thanks to Dr. Stephan Mathews, for showing me the value and meaning in
undertaking this project. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Professor S.D. Tyagaraj,
Dean of XIME for his support and guidance.
I would also like to thank Dr.Bijaya Pati, for giving me the opportunity to work as a
volunteer at Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped.
In particular I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and profusely thank Ms.Savita
for her invaluable insights, constant support and guidance which really helped in understanding
the nuances of dealing with mentally handicapped children and without whose help the
successful completion of this project wouldnt have been possible.
Last, but not the least I wish to extend my special thanks to all the children at the
institute who have shaped my understanding of the mentally handicapped person and my
experience with them will be cherished by me forever.
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PREFACE
Socially Useful Productive Activity or SUPA is not only a value addition to the
curriculum at Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore, but is also a
platform that allows the students studying here to contribute their bit towards making a better
future for the world we live in.
The programme allows students to venture out in the real world, with the aim of
developing an attitude of social responsibility and an unflinching commitment to the purpose of
development of social causes. Being stakeholders in the society, our role goes beyond being
mute spectators of the problems and challenges that engulf it and SUPA is a novel channel for us
to implement our managerial skills and humane facet for the betterment of our society.
The work done under the SUPA programme encompasses a plethora of activities and it
could be anything from helping the impoverished or underprivileged sections of the society to
helping stray animals and saving paper and hence preventing deforestation. The bottom line is
that we are expected to help make a better future for all of us.
We are expected to work with an organization committed towards a social cause and in
doing so we should be able to add value to that noble cause. Being future managers we are also
expected to develop a holistic outlook on growth of an entity, which goes beyond profits andencompasses social welfare too.
The programme is one of a kind in contemporary B-schools and surely is the best foot
forward in the development of humanizing management education.
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INDEX
Sr. No. Topic Page No.
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction to Chetana Institute for the Mentally Handicapped
3. Organization Structure
4. Areas of Work
6. A brief introduction to Mental Retardation and its importance inthe Indian context
7. A day at CIMH
8. My Body of Work
9. Skill Training
10 Case of Somnath Barik (PAR format-Problem, action, result)
11. Conclusion
12. References
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SUPA was a great opportunity for me to contribute my bit to the society in both ways
tangible and intangible. I realized the importance of helping the society I claim to be an integral
part of, and experienced the joy of giving. Being future managers not only calls for sharp
business acumen but also requires that we as managers are humane. SUPA acted like the perfect
tool that took me away from my comfort zone and provided me the chance to learn to unlearn
and contribute my two cents to the society.
We all know that everybody has a gift and that few are more gifted than others. Mentally
handicapped children are just those who fall in the latter category. Mentally retarded children
are not mad, they are differently able. Unable to comprehend the vagaries of these children or
simply disappointed because of unfulfilled expectations the society proclaims them as outcastsand it is here that each and every one of us has a moral responsibility in changing that outlook
and supporting these children. How does one contribute to improve the quality of life of these
gems is a question that pops up in the minds of people with noble intentions and the answer is
provided when people with a scientific outlook and altruism in their hearts set up an organization
dedicated to answer that critical question. Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped is
just one such organization.
As a part of my SUPA, I worked with Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped,
also known as CIMH. Its an NGO, and comes under the parent organization - Jewels
International.
I worked with CIMH from the 27th
of Dec2010 to the 15th
of Jan2011 and was involved
in skill training of the mentally handicapped children and behavioral assessment a single child
apart from helping them in domestic activities and participating in their little joys.
One of the most important lessons for me during this entire course was how differently
these kids view the world around them from what we see it as and after my experience at CIMH
I have come to believe that the world we live in is a world of perceptions and the beauty of it is
that it always holds something unique for everybody. Spending time with these children,
teaching and playing with them, understanding them and participating with them in their joys
and sorrows has given me a clearer perspective of my role in the society and a higher sense of
appreciation for all creation.
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INTRODUCTION TO CHETANA INSTITUTE FOR THE MENTALLY
HANDICAPPED
A Voluntary Organization named as Jewels International was established atBhubaneswar in the year 1977 to perform Social Service and conduct Mass Education Programmes.
The Organization was registered under the Societies Registration Act. No. XXI of 1860, by the
Registrar of Societies, Cuttack, on 27th July, 1977. In the year 1985, the Organization decided to
work for the welfare of the Mentally Handicapped Children. The same resulted in the
establishment of an Institution named Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped (CIMH)
in June, 1986.
CIMH pursues the principle of inclusivity. Children who are looked upon as outcasts by
the society to parents who view them as a burden, CIMH satisfies not only their basic
physiological needs but also groom them to be employable and independent as far as possible.
The calm and serene atmosphere of the campus is perfect for fostering an environment of care
and nurturing the idea of creating something for everyone. The institute has a dedicated team of
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teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, trainees and associated staff who are committed to the single
minded cause of making tomorrow a better day for these little stars.
The Bhubaneswar Branch of CIMH provides Day Care facility and Hostel facility to
Mentally Retarded Children. There are 98 students who are enrolled in the Residential
Programme. For the purpose of education and training, the students are grouped into five classes
based on their age, functional ability and the level of Mental Retardation. The following Table
shows the breakup of the students in different classes.
Class wise Distribution of Students, Bhubaneswar Branch
Class Day care Hosteller Total
Male Female Male Female
Pre-Primary - - 08 02 10
Primary - - 20 06 26
Secondary - - 23 05 28
Pre-Vocational - - 30 04 34
Total - - 81 17 98
The institute has the following objectives:-
1) To promote the establishment of institutions for the education, training and rehabilitation
of the mentally handicapped and other categories of disabled persons.
2)
To conduct health programmes for the disabled people of the State.
3) To promote research on mental handicap and allied subjects.
4) To establish collaboration with other Voluntary Organizations having similar objectives.
5) To conduct developmental programmes for the all round development of rural, tribal and
slum population; women and children.
Mission Statement
To establish and support establishment of Special Schools, Vocational Training Centres
and Sheltered Workshops for the Mentally Handicapped in the State of Orissa
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Legal Status
Jewels International is registered under:
1. Society Registration Act No. XXI of 1860,
Registration No. 11634/480 of 1977-78.2. Section 12-A of Income Tax Act. 1961
Registration No. Adm. (GL) 27/12-A/85-86
3. U/s.80G (5) (vi) of Income Tax Act. 1961,
Registration No. ITO(Tech.)/ 80G-93/ 05-06/2006-07/1781, dated 12th July, 2006.
4. Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. 1976
Registration No. 105020046 of 1987
5. Persons with Disability Act., 1995
Registration No. 18/Women & Child Development Department, Govt. of Orissa, 2004
6. National Trust Act., 1999
Registration No. 1812/CP-MR/2002
7. Certificate of ImporterExporter Code (IEC) - 2301000389/2001
8. District Industries Registration No. 1917 / 05/04/2003
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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
CIMH was the brain child of Dr. Narayan Chandra Pati, a psychiatrist and a reputed
professor of psychology at Utkal University. The institute is governed by an executive committee
in accordance with the provisions of the Bye-Law of Jewels International. The executive body is
elected by the General Body once in every three years.
LIST OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SlNo.
Name PositionQualification &
Occupation
01. Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra President
M.S. (Surgery)
Retd. Govt.
servant
02. Dr. Basant Kumar DasVice-
President
M.A., Ph.D.
Retd. Govt.
servant
03. Dr. N.C. PatiGeneral
Secretary
M.A., Ph.D.
Universityservice
04. Sri Mrityunjaya PaniJoint
SecretaryM.Com. Service
05. Dr. Chintamani Mishra Treasurer
M.A., Ph.D.
University
service
06. Dr. Bijaya PatiPrincipal
(CIMH)M.D.(Psychiatry)
07. Dr. Tarapad Ray Member M.D.(Psychiatry)
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08.Er. Bhabani Sankar
MohantyMember
B.E. (Electrical)
Govt. service
09. Dr. Prasanta Kr. Mishra MemberM.A., Ph.D.
Govt. service
10. Sri Lalatendu Patnaik MemberM.A., L.L.B.
Advocate
11. Sri Kailash Ch. Mishra MemberI.A. CESCO
Service
12.Sri D.S. Appa Rao
Member
B.Com (Hons.),
L.L.B. BankService
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AREAS OF WORK
The following services are being offered by CIMH:-
1)
Special education and skill training2) Vocational training programme
3) Community based rehabilitation programme
4) Self-help programme
5) Early intervention programme
Special education and skill training
As mentally handicapped children have needs which are different from the others,
these needs have to be addressed in different ways too. The need could be quite basic like
buttoning up a shirt or even pouring water in a glass or complicated like listening, recognizing
and acting on a particular external stimulus. These children could be challenged in any sphere
that could range from communicating efficiently to behaving as per social norms or even
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performing domestic activities. CIMH has a comprehensive and structured curriculum to address
these needs and this is what constitutes its special education and skill training services.
Basically, the children are put in different classes based on their age and ability-the
two most important criteria for this classification. The following descriptions of various levels of
training will give us a better idea on the structure of training.
1) Pre-primaryChildren aged between 3 and 6 years are kept in these classes. It is evident that these
children require basic needs to be fulfilled than going up the ladder on higher needs like
being able to communicate or participate in group activities. Children in this category
require more personal attention.
2) Primary-1At each level there are few tests conducted at regular time intervals, to see how the child
is responding to what he has been taught and gauge his overall development. Children
getting a minimum of 80% at the pre-primary level and approximately 7 years of age are
promoted to this level. i.e. Primary-1. The focus here is more on developing their mental
faculties as they have already proved that they are capable of performing basic activities
like drinking water without spilling, not swallowing solids and the like. Children at this
level are taught basic numbering concepts and alphabets.
3) Primary-2Those who arent able to achieve the 80% target at the pre-primary level even after 8
years are put in primary-2 classes. Since these children have shown low functional
abilities they are trained from scratch and are given more time in assimilating information
and responding to them. Children are kept in this class till a maximum age of 14 years
before they enter the secondary level.
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4) SecondaryThis is a mixed group, having children from both primary-1 and primary-2 levels.
Children at this level are taught more advance concepts of money and time and various
reinforcement techniques are used to boost their confidence about which I will explain in
greater detail later on in my report. Children in this class are generally in the age group of
11 to 14 years.
Vocational training programme
The special education centre of CIMH offers vocational training to mentally retarded
children with a futuristic view of vocational placement. The institute gives intensive training on
making candles, envelopes, paper-packets, mosquito nets, phenyl, gardening, diary, tailoring,
cover files and note books. The institute has also opened up a grocery shop since 2003 for
vocational training and placement of adults with mental disabilities.
Community based rehabilitation(CBR) programme
The main objective of the CBR Programme is to provide service to the disabled people at
their door step. The Special Educators appointed under this project visit the homes of people
with disability on a regular basis and help the parents conduct home based special education and
vocational training programme. The project activities include awareness generation on disability,publication of literature on disability in the regional language, parental counseling, and home
based special education programme. Vocational training and placement of people with
disabilities in locally available vocations is one of the major activities under the project. The
institute has also implemented a project on Community Based Rehabilitation of People with
Disability with a focus on Intellectual Disability in collaboration with Lebenshilfe, Germany, and
the Ministry of Economic Co-operation & Development, Govt. of Germany. The project was
implemented in 16 Community Development Blocks of Orissa spread over 12 Districts. The
project also included infrastructure development in Bhubaneswar and Balakati branches of the
institute.
A total number of 7125 persons with disability are under the CBR programme. Most of
these people are below the poverty line and require intensive long duration service.
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Self-help programme
As a part of the self-help programme the institute has helped forming 50 Self-Help
Groups (SHGs) by the disabled people and their family members in 16 CBR Units. Each SHG
was given an amount of Rs. 10,000/- as revolving fund. Each member of the SHG also
contributed Rs. 10/- to Rs. 30/- per month to the common fund of the SHG. The members of the
self help groups take small loans from the common fund of the SHG and use the money for small
businesses, animal husbandry, and agricultural activities.
. Early intervention programme
CIMH also provides Early Intervention and Home Based Training Services for children
with intellectual disability, delayed development, autism, and multiple disabilities, who are
unable to avail either day care or residential services due to various reasons. The experts of
CIMH either visit the homes of these children or invite parents of the children to the Centre, and
train them with the skills to manage their children in a home environment. The centre also
provides Early Intervention Services for children with developmental disabilities from birth to
six years of age.
The institute has also conducted a large number of training programmes on Mental
Retardation and Disability in the year gone by. The abstract of the training programmes is given
in the following Table.
Seminars, Workshops, and Short-Term Training Programmes
conducted in collaboration with Lebenshilfe, Germany
Funding Agency Name of the Programme Duration No. ofcourses in theProgrammes
No. ofParticipants
Lebenshilfe &Govt. of Germany
Parent TrainingProgrammes
5 days 16 1327
Lebenshilfe &Govt. of Germany
Follow Up ParentTraining Programmes
1 day 59 1456
Lebenshilfe &Govt. of Germany
Village Level VolunteersTraining Programme
10 days 16 400
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A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL RETARDATION AND ITS
IMPORTANCE IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT
Before I get into the details of my experience at CIMH and my role therein I would like
to throw some light on some facts and figures which I think are important for us to understand
the behavior of these children. Firstly, I would reiterate my statement about these children not
being mad, which is a widely held misconception. This notion has absolutely no credibility and
contemporary science refutes it vehemently. As per Merriam-Webster dictionary, mental
retardation is defined as follows:-
sub average intellectual ability equivalent to or less than an IQ of 70 that is accompanied
by significant deficits in abilities (as in communication or self-care) necessary for
independent daily functioning, is present from birth or infancy, and is manifested
especially by delayed or abnormal development, by learning difficulties, and by problems
in social adjustment.
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Supporting the definition and empirically based on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale (WAIS) the following data will show us the ranges that are used in classifying varying
degrees of mental retardation.
Class IQ
Profound mental retardation Below 20
Severe mental retardation 20-34
Moderate mental retardation 35-49
Mild mental retardation 50-69
Borderline mental retardation 70-79
As per a recent report prepared by the World Bankin collaboration with the ministry of
social justice and empowerment the following statistics hold good for India.
14 % of the disabled population amounts to approximately 8.4 million mentally
handicapped people in India! This is a huge figure and we should realize that we have an
opportunity to do something good for these children rather than castigating them. At the moment
there are four laws namely,
- The Disability Law of 1995
48%
28%
14%
10%
Disabled People
Visually Impaired
Movement Impaired
Mentally disabled
Hearing and Speech
diabilities
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/World-Bankhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/World-Bankhttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scale -
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- The National Trust Act
- The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act and
- The Mental Health Act
that cover all disabilities in India and even though these four overlook the activities and
formulate norms of the organizations helping disabled people apart from giving them their
legal status, their policies hardly result in assuring any form of employment of these people.
As per the laws there should be 3 percent reservation for disabled people in government jobs
but the public sector employs just 0.5 per cent and the situation is even worse in the private
sector where only 0.2 percent of disabled people are employed. The overall employment rate
is less than 0.4 percent of the disabled people for the mentally handicapped and the policies
surely do not hold much promise for these people to be absorbed in mainstream jobs.
It is very easy for one to cite the example of a disabled person in a neighbors house, but
it is as difficult as or even tougher than that to accept the fact that there is one in our own
home. The mindset of our people has to change. Feeling of shame and inferiority has to be
done away with and public awareness on mentally handicapped people has to penetrate the
larger strata of our society. There is a need for policy reforms to make a positive impact on
the life of the mentally handicapped and to stop discrimination against them, at and outside
the workplace. India is a developing country and has a lot of challenges lying ahead on itspath of progress. It should not leave anyone behind in this wave of development and let us
not forget that they too are one among us.
Let us remember the famous words of Hubert H. Humphrey, a famous advocate of civil
rights and the Vice President of the U.S (1965-1969)
The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life . . .
the children; those who are in the twilight of life . . . the elderly; and those who are in
the shadow of life . . . the sick . . . the needy . . . and the disabled."
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A DAY AT CIMH
It has been cold this winter in Bhubaneswar with temperatures dipping to single digits but
the warmth with which the children greet me has never diminished. On a crisp morning as I enter
the institute, I can hear voices calling me Sir..Sir youll teach us today?(in the local language)
with the same enthusiasm in their voices as the day before, while they scratch their heads and
hug me with joy and expectations.
A typical day at CIMH starts as early as 6 A.M. and the children start performing their
daily chores, but quite unlike what we would do. Some of them would require external assistance
even in being led to the bathrooms or toilets. The helpers and people in charge of the hostel are
by now used to this grind and are well aware of the abilities of most of the children. Once done
with their morning routine, its time for breakfast and one can see a lot of amusing antics by
these movers and shakers. They are not only energetic but are quite naughty too. These children
seem to be in their own world, oblivious to the fact the teacher is telling them to form a circle,
and its then that one realizes the gravity of the situation. Moving on to a lighter note, food and
food it is, that can probably bring the broadest of smiles on their faces.
After stuffing their bellies the children are now ready for some small drills or rhymes to
start up their day. You can hear the words all jumbled up but the tune being maintained when
they sing If youre happy and you know it, clap your hands... By the time they are done withtheir rhymes it is around 10 A.M. and it is time to do some brain crunching. The children enter
their respective classrooms guided by their teachers and are smiling as always.
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Once inside, it is both a test and a new experience for every teacher day in and day out.
All the teachers are qualified with B.Ed degrees in special education with years of experience
under their belt, but every child out there is different from the other and with that comes an
opportunity knocking everyday at the teachers door to help the child grow. There are children in
groups of five to seven and even then there can be everything, but silence in a classroom. Some
children might be rocking on the chair back and forth, while some maybe least interested in what
the teacher is saying and looking all over the classroom while the teacher is trying to teach them
and as a result, more often than not, the teacher stops every few seconds, not even minutes to get
back the diverted childs attention. Quite a challenge I must say, keeping in my mind that I too
was going to do that on a particular level.
Sessions of half an hour to an hour are conducted wherein the children are taught new
skills or are just engaged in some form of productive activity. The teachers try to involve the
children as much as possible by giving them tasks which could be varied or similar in nature and
most of it is done in groups. This continues till exactly one oclock in the afternoon, when thebell rings for quite a long time and the children know that its time for lunch and I can see those
smiles back on their faces. They are very curious about the menu for lunch since morning and on
being told that theres an egg ora chicken preparation, the excitement on their faces is a sight to
behold. The lunch break is for an hour and after two in the afternoon the children get back to do
some practical activities like stitching, making boxes of cardboard and some even paint. They
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seem to be more interested in creating images or making something more visual than just
sitting and learning or probably listening because it keeps them more engaged and the results of
their efforts are more tangible in nature which gives them great satisfaction.
By four in the evening it is time for some gardening (the picture above is of the garden at
CIMH) and they have a natural inclination to water and the wet mud as far as I have noticed. Its
a fantastic experience in the shaded garden to plant saplings and in the meantime develop
friendly rapports with these children. By five o clock in the evening, its time for the gates to
close and the teachers leave for their homes and the children can be seen playing games with the
helpers and some full timers who stay at the hostel itself or they just wander in the campus doing
things they find interesting. Yeah, they do watch a little bit of T.V as a part of their recreation
and mostly in the local language and are very happy on seeing some cartoon network channels.
Probably the funny faces and exciting sounds seem to tickle their funny bone to a good extent.
Finally, they have their dinner by eight and jump on to their beds to cuddle up under a
blanket bracing themselves for another chilly winter night. It has been a long day, filled with a
lot of fun, activity and a new set of experiences and now it is time to rest, as I start my bike and
head out thundering into the darkness.
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MY BODY OF WORK
I was involved directly in the skill training of the mentally handicapped children who
were at the secondary level. I was instructed on the first three days of how the process would be
and the things that I would have to take care of at a personal level, especially on not losing my
temper and to keep encouraging them. At the end of one week I had to conduct a behavioral
assessment on any one child stating his problem in certain areas after checking his actions
against a list of behavioral checklists and recommending specific actions for the child to cope
with that problem. I was given a list of expected problem behaviors by the teachers and I was
free to add new ones too if I noticed anything that wasnt already there. To be precise, my
recommendation was not to be an out-of-the-book solution but was to be more of an activity or
an innovative idea that could be implemented. In the forthcoming week I was to have anotherround of teaching sessions with that kid in which I would be implementing my recommendations
and submitting my observations to the teacher in charge. The picture below is of me with
Somnath and Tushar, two children from CIMH.
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SKILL TRAINING
Concept of Money and Time
The concepts of money and time are of practical importance to these children as it comes
very handy in their day to day functioning and also prepares them for vocational jobs. I spoke
about the denominations of coins currently in circulation and how to make use of the other
denominations in exchange of one. I should have realized that the old adage of action speaks
louder than words couldnt have had a truermeaning than in this context. I had to get back to
my drawing basics and I drew a few charts on both the money concept and a made a clock to
explain to them the concept of time. The following charts will give an exact idea of my briefing
on the money concept wherein they had to match coins too so that they could recognize a coin
with its value with a similar one. Associating the value with real coins is important because they
need to develop mental images for a particular value and breaking it down into lower
denominations gives them a clearer picture of various possible transactions for a particular value.
I had to get a very important thing right for teaching the concept of time. All the charts
that I had seen present in the classrooms had every hour drawn unto them and there was no scope
for the child to experiment. Keeping that in mind I made a basic clock with movable hands
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which helped me get the idea of time across to them in a more efficient way as they could also
participate actively by moving the hands of the clock and more importantly, it grabbed their
attention that got them excited about learning how to use it.
Concept of Days and Months
Apart from these 2 concepts I also taught them about days and months. It was important
for me that I do not go too fast or jump steps thinking they would understand, because at the end
of the day I knew their abilities and it was me who had to adapt to the situation. I followed the
process of drawing and making the experience more visual to increase the effectiveness of my
teaching them these concepts. The following picture drawn by me helps them relate the days in a
month with respect to the height of the mountains. The higher mountains represent months
having more than 30/28 or 29 days and the smaller ones represent months having days lesser
than 31. Seasons added here give a more realistic impression of what they are learning and helps
them remember information more effectively.
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The man in the picture above is actually juggling balls with the days of the week written on them
and the child would have to match the days of the week on either side. This will involve the child
in being able to recognize the letters of the week and his cognitive abilities would require him to
identify a similar one on the other side.
I also taught them about the cyclical concept of the days of a week. As these children
learn faster by doing things than just sitting, I made them stand in a circle with each day of a
week assigned to one child and they went around the circle till they got a feel of what was
happening and the rhythm of Monday,Tuesday,,Sunday,Monday.. settled in their minds.
One important aspect of teaching these children that I realized and implemented while I was
teaching them was that, they pay more attention to musical sounds. For example if I said , One
Two Three., they were less inclined to listen to me than when I said One, Two buckle my
shoe.. in a rhythmic tone. Rhythm accompanied with actions plays an important part in any
mode of communication with these children, and especially while trying to teach them something
new.
By the end of the week the children were more comfortable with these concepts and were
able to answer some of the questions asked by me. In short, they picked up the cues and were
having the foundations laid clearly in their minds. It was a joyous moment for me to see the
children being able to answer simple questions on time, money and days-of-the-week concepts.
It was a week that got me closer to these children and got me acquainted to some of their
habits. By now I had a rough idea of the mental abilities of each child and I had to choose any
one child for his behavioral assessment. I took up the case of Somnath Barik, a 12 year old
mentally handicapped child.
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CASE OF SOMNATH BARIK
Behavioral Assessment (Problem Identification)
To assess Somnath I had to check his activities against a checklist of a behavioral scale
which broadly had 18 categories and each category had 10 checkpoints. The following statistics
of the assessment gave me an idea of the weak areas of Somnath and guided me to focus on
those areas for development.
My observation of these results led to me to the fact that Somnath was still scoring less
on the Reading and Social Interaction fields. He was scoring less in Community
Orientation and Vocational Skills too, but that could be taken up at a later stage for
development. One was a fundamental area of self development and the other required greater
interaction with the world around him. Both of these problems had completely different contexts
and hence demanded different solutions. I communicated these observations to Ms. Savita, my
guide and mentor during the entire process.
Checking up on Somnaths file she told me that he has a very short attention span and is
acutely restless. His case file also revealed that his mother was malnourished at the time of his
birth and his father too was mentally handicapped.
0123456
789
10
Checkp
oints
Behavioral Fields
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Solution (Action)
Firstly, coming to the Social Interaction component of the behavioral scale meant more
than just talking or interacting with others. Social interaction also meant the following things in
brief:-
a) Waiting for his turn in groups
b) Taking the role of a leader in group activities
c) Asking for help when bullied or manages the situation by himself
d) Says words like Please, Thank You and Sorry and shows other social courtesies.
Somnath lacked all of the above. I had to decide a way by which he could inculcate these
habits through experience. After a good amount of thought, I came up with a simple and feasible
idea-playing carom. A carom board was present at the institute catching dust, and it caught my
eye.
Playing carom daily for an hour with Somnath and two more children (both were at pre-
vocational levels) was a great experience. Liza and Tushar were very co-operative. Carom, as we
all know is a group game and requires patience from each of the players to play his turn. It also
involves requesting for the striker from a co-player when its beyond the reach of the person and
involves setting up of the coins and starting the game too, apart from directing a team mate to pot
in the most easily available coin. There is a possibility of a tiff too, when somebody breaks the
rules, especially when one is playing with children. Basically, it encompasses all of the above
points and was a great practical guide for Somnath to develop himself in those areas.
Secondly, coming to the Reading field on the behavioral scale. Just like social interaction
didnt just mean communicating, reading didnt just mean pronouncing words. It also meant
sorting objects of different shapes and matching pictures with objects.
This time around I used a board as shown in the following page. I drew a figure on a piece of
paper and wrote what the object was and Somnath had to choose the exact object from the board
whose figure I had drawn on the paper. This made him learn the name of the object and he got
the physical feel of the object too. The board is a hollow cavity wherein different shapes of wood
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are placed. I even emptied all these shapes of wood together and left it to Somnath to fill up the
board placing the right shape in the right cavity while I timed him on the activity.
Results (Observations)
It had been a week since I started working with Somnath on his problem areas and it was
time for me to give my observations on the recent developments. I would say Somnath as a child
is an introvert and it is his natural inclination to shy away from a crowd, leave alone addressing
somebody with social courtesies. But there was a sign of hope, on the day I got chocolates for all
the children at the institute and Somnath walked up to me and said that he wanted to distribute
the chocolates to everybody. This according to me was the first step in the right direction. He
clearly showed willingness in performing an activity that involved everybody. Let us not forget
that inculcating a habit, is not a weeks job or even a months. It requires constant involvement
of the child with his peers and people who drive and support him and provide him with
verbal reinforcements of praise and good-work.
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A picture of Somanth- the leader with chocolate boxes.
As for his reading skills in terms of matching and sorting objects I gave the results of his clocked
timings to Ms.Savita. Somnath started with a clock time of 58 seconds to place the 10 pieces in
right cavities and hovered around it for a few days before the clock times gradually came down
to 25 seconds at the end of the week. This was a decent improvement in his ability to match
figures and he became more efficient in identifying vegetables and stationery items too.
It is important to note here that both these results are definitive indicators of the
possibility of improvement in developmental behavior of Somnath if sustained over a long
period of time. Somnath showed signs of improvement in both individual and social arenas of
development and the future surely holds a lot of promise for this special child. Though
Somnaths IQ levels still remain below 70, he has learnt new and important concepts that will
keep him in good stead all his life.
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CONCLUSION
I have come to the end of my report but I am still at the beginning of my journey at
CIMH and in the upliftment of the mentally handicapped people in a broader sense. The two odd
weeks spent working as a volunteer at CIMH not only brought me face to face with this
neglected and discriminated section of our society but also helped me understand the challenges
faced by the teachers at the institute.
During the course of my project, I got hands on experience of working with the faculty at
CIMH and also learned about their difficulties in terms of shortages in the workforce. Coming to
think of it, the demand for teachers in Special Education is approximately five times than the
current supply as per recent statistics. This shows that there is clear dearth of resources in this
field and this gap can only be plugged after policy reforms are implemented in this sector. After
all, they need to be treated at par if not above teachers who teach normal children because their
jobs are more strenuous and even tougher than their counterparts in normal schools. The photo
below is that of Ms.Savita, who has about 25 years of experience in Special Education, and was
my mentor and guide in the entire process. The boy with her is, Tushar, and hes almost ready
for vocational jobs.
Mental disability is not a disease. It is not a curse. My experience at CIMH was a true eye
opener for me. These children just like others have a future and we have a part to play to improve
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their future. While I volunteered to teach at CIMH, I was surprised that I too learnt a couple of
things from the children. Firstly, never to allow the smile fade off my face and secondly to retain
the innocence of a child as far as I can and to not limit my thoughts to just what Ive learnt. Both
these things are a way of life for these children. It is because we are so educated that we forget or
even fail to look at things from a different perspective and stick to the conformity of the
structures and patterns we have learned so rigidly. The minds of these children are like open
boxes and they explore it to the utmost level. They fail because they cannot associate it with the
context at hand. Mentally handicapped children need constant appraisals and these could be
satisfying their basic physiological needs by providing food or liquids or it could be something
more verbal like Very Good or Great Job. Whatever it may be, it just goes on to show that
these little things matter the most and go a long way in shaping and developing a differently
abled child.
It was an enriching experience for me to help those who needed it most and my
association with CIMH and the cause of helping these children will continue long after my
SUPA project is completed. Let us all remember as a society and as a nation, the crux of
disability wrapped in just one line in the words of Scott Hamilton.
The only disability in life is a bad attitude.
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REFERNCES
1) http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com
2) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health
http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/