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“The Art of Mothering is to Teach the Art of Living to Children” -Elaine Heffner A devoted and a hard-working mother, an enigmatic and enthusiastic role model for parents and a charming human- words fall short in glorifying this beautiful lady, Mrs. Smrithy Rajesh. She is mother to Advaith, a beautiful child with Autism, and her ‘special journey with Advaith’ is a truly inspiring read to all of us. “I empowered myself and started working with my son. Addu’s smile is a great motivation for me. Advaith made me a better person and he is my teacher. He taught me that nothing is impossible. His diagnosis made me a strong independent woman who believes in her child.” At the outset, her road has not been an easy one, with umpteen ups and downs, but she is an exemplar of continued perseverance and a strong pillar, with unconditional efforts, in achieving success with her son. Smrithy recalls, “When Advaith was diagnosed with Autism, like most parents, I was not able to come to terms with it and this was a difficult period in my life. I was not aware of Autism and no one was able to understand me. My family members attributed his condition to bad parenting. I underwent depression at that time.” But this did not stop her from moving forward. She, with her pillar of support in form of her husband were determined to put in their best for their son. “I kept a distance from all the negative people who were trying to pull me down.  We decided to move forward with a positive attitude and enrolled Advaith into intervention programmes.  Simultaneously, I started working as his co-therapist. I was part of his sessions and learning from the therapist.  Then I replicated the same programs at home. After some time, I realized that I cannot depend entirely on therapists and decided to do a diploma course in Special Education. That decision really helped to understand Autism and be able to relate to my son better.” She has been a constant encouragement for her child, in identifying his talents and putting them to purposeful use. On elaborating on her journey with Advaith, she says, “He was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism. He was too hyper active and so I decided to focus on more physical activities. We taught him cycling, swimming, basketball, badminton and skating. Sports helped him reduce his hyperactivity and we discovered that Advaith is extremely good at Roller Skating. That brought about lots of appreciation which gave him greater confidence about his skills and he started improving in all areas of learning. His obsession with stimming using a thread, helped him to learn a skill, ‘jewellery making’ and he is already earning an income from that. Advaith does simple data entry programs and continues with his computer skill training programs that will help him in achieving an important vocational skill.” She has created a space for exhibiting and selling his craft products at ‘Addu’s Little Creations. Advaith has also participated and won many laurels at State level sport competitions. He has won two gold medals for Roller skating conducted by Karnataka Disability Department and Silver medal at the Roller Skating competition conducted by Special Olympics Bharat, Karnataka. Apart from being a doting mother, Smrithy is also pro-actively involved in empowering herself and fellow parents in providing the best care and intervention facilities to children with Autism. Smrithy constantly shares her experiences and thoughts, on creating awareness, spreading positivity and enhancing motivation to fellow parents to children with Autism. Smrithy has created a blog – ‘My Special Journey with Advaith’, which garners immense popularity for its thought-provoking tips on working with children with Autism, and for its positive motivation. You can follow her blog and YouTube channel here. To being asked on how she keeps herself motivated in doing the best for her children, she says, When I started working with him consistently, my husband and my elder son also joined me and thereafter we started working as a team. During weekends and holidays, we started doing lots of outings and that helped me to keep calm. I always keep a distance from negative people. Addu’s smile is a great motivation for me. I share everything that I do with my son with other parents. Spending holidays in different places always helps me to get a good break from the daily schedule. I like to go to restaurants for dinner with my family. Advaith made me a better person and he is my teacher. He taught me that nothing is impossible. I was born and brought up in a village and was enjoying my life as a house wife after my marriage. His diagnosis made me a strong independent woman who believes in her child.” Smrithy signs off by sharing a beautiful message with us. Her words are a great motivational booster, and encourage us to move forward on a positive note. “Accept and understand Autism. Acceptance starts from us. The mother is the best therapist and love is the best method for our kids. Find their strengths and at the same time train them to handle their difficulties too.  Empower yourself and work as a co-therapist for your child. Ups and downs are bound to be there. Autism is a lifelong disorder, not a disease. Don’t waste your time by trying to cure Autism. A proper early intervention program can help the children to reach their maximum potential. Don’t focus only on Academics -give equal importance to self-help skills and physical activities. Accept them the way they are and shower them with love!” Hats off to this energetic mom for advocating Autism, lending a helping hand to fellow parents and caregivers and coming up with novel and innovative ideas, in making the learning and therapeutic process easier for kids! We at 1SpecialPlace wish Mrs. Smrithy loads of good luck with her future endeavors! Recommend someone you know for the 1SpecialPlace wall of fame! Mail us at info@1specialplace.com

Meet the ever enigmatic and charismatic lady, Ms. Deepa Garwa. She is a reading consultant for children with special needs, a blogger, an inclusive education researcher and a hands-on mother of two. She is mother to Aarshia, a beautiful child with Down’s syndrome. Ms. Deepa Garwa is the founder of Two-Minute Parenting , a blog designed for parents and professionals working with children with special needs. Read on for a few excerpts from her interview. On talking about her initial startup with Two-Minute Parenting, She recalls, “When I got my daughter’s diagnosis and was clueless about what it meant and what it entails, I went online and tried to find resources that could help but I was shocked that there was hardly anything for parents who were seeking information about special needs. Most of the information that was available only talked about the challenges, the problems and a predictable sad life cycle of our children and the parents. It was depressing. So when I got out of that initial phase of denial and acceptance, I thought of starting something for new parents so they knew what was in store for them. About Two Minute Parenting Two Minute Parenting is a source of infinite resources for parents and professionals alike. As Deepa rightly states, “I wear many hats at two minute parenting. I conduct reading workshops for parents, therapists and teachers to teach strategies of reading to children with special needs. Also I have research extensively for inclusive education and its best practices and models from all over the world. The most important work that I believe I do is to write articles. From experiences to research, I share many insights with my fellow parents through my posts as well as videos.” Elaborating on her typical work-day schedule, she believes she is her own boss, which is the best part of being a blogger, though she cautions that at times, it could be counter-productive as well! She starts her work typically by 9 am, as soon as she sends her children and husband to school and work respectively, and works till about 2-2:30 pm every day. Her personal inspiration is derived from knowing as much as she can to change the expected trajectory of children with special needs. With two minute parenting, she hopes to bring knowledge, creativity, fun and happiness into the lives of all parents and children with special needs. Deepa feels blessed to be a ray of hope in so many lives of parents and children with different abilities. She reckons, “Every time a parent calls and confesses that they were inspired and motivated by reading my articles or watching Aarshia’s videos, it makes me humbled and grateful to the universe and its powers. Every time a parent calls in distress and if I am able to calm them and help them solve their problems, I feel gratitude. The awareness that with my knowledge and time, I can empower a parent is a feeling which cannot be expressed in words. It could be through my writing, videos or a phone call, but I feel inspired every day to carry on and bring a change.” Throwing light over the years of working with parents and children, she shares, “I believe life teaches us a new lesson everyday, it is only up to us to see those as life changing experiences. The one thing that I have learned over all these years is the fact that your attitude can change the course of your life. Everything can be dealt with a positive attitude. Research suggests that unhappy people remain unhappy even after winning big lotteries and happy people are eventually happy, even after they have gone through big debacles or physical challenges. This knowledge has helped me realize that ultimately one’s happiness doesn’t depend on what one has but who that person inherently is.” She believes in educating parents about exploring their child’s condition, and guiding them in maximizing their child’s potential. On being asked to share a message with her fellow parents, Deepa says, “The one message that I would like to share with other parents and caregivers is to take a step back and accept the fact that they cannot control everything in their child’s life. They may feel so but it is not true. Also, do not feel bad asking for help. They would be surprised to know the willingness of a community and fellow parents. My fellow parents all over the world are people I am extremely proud to have in my life. There are many I have never met and have only known virtually but each one of them contributes in my life and learnings in so many ways. My last piece of advice for fellow parents would be for them to have a life of their own. When we invest so much of ourselves in others including our children or spouses, resentment builds up. Conclusion We start looking for our happiness in their actions and we feel unhappy. If they don’t do what we think they should be doing or the way they should be performing. Feelings like ‘I gave up my career for this house or my life for my son’ are typical example of resentment within. Whenever one finds themselves heading to that thought, one needs to head straight back to the sane city and follow their heart so at the end of the day, one is happy with themselves.  There should be no pressure or baggage in being a special needs parent. If you like to watch a good movie while having tea and if that’s your idea of a good day… go for it.  Do something for yourself.  At the end of the day, it is imperative and critical to invest in your own happiness and also do things that make you happy and content.” Such an absolute delight in catching up with this amazing lady, and her high spirited attitude! Hats of Ms. Deepa for all the wonderful work that you have been doing and continue to do so, and 1 SPecialPlace wishes you the very best of luck for all your future endeavors! About 1SpecialPlace We at 1SpecialPlace provide the Best Online Speech therapy In india. Speech and language disorders are among the most frequent health problems among children and adults in India, where statistics show that speech impairment is the fifth most common handicap, with a prevalence of 7%. Furthermore, 90 percent of children with speech and language disorders may experience long-term challenges. With our exclusive Online Speech therapy exercises and best therapist online in India, receive cutting-edge treatment from the comfort of your own home. At 1SpecialPlace you have the right to be confident in your communication and to learn from the finest. Our personalized Online speech therapy works for people of all ages and ailments, and it’s also convenient and fun. In fact, our customers tell us that they don’t feel like they’re doing “therapy work” throughout their sessions. Speech is how you express yourself; it’s what we hear. Language is not only what you wish to convey; it is also what we believe. When you have excellent speech and language, you can fully express yourself and connect with people. We’ll collaborate with you to create your own specialized strategy and uncover your most effective communication. #Childrenwithspecialneeds #DownsSyndrome #OnlineSpeechTherapy #ParentingTips

Next in our Wall of Fame series, we feature a ravishing doctor and a hands-on mom of two beautiful children-Dr. Sonali Kataria. Please introduce yourself to our readers. I am Dr Sonali Kataria. Currently, I am the founder and executive director of Sunrise Learning Foundation, a non-profit devoted to educating and training parents and children on the autism spectrum (and entire family in some cases). Born and brought up in a family of doctors, my basic education is medical graduation, followed by an MD from AIIMS in Anatomy, with Neuroscience as my specialization. I was fortunate to have been able to do a series of professional trainings including the Son-Rise Program (USA), Stem cell Therapy project from University of Melbourne (AUS), several Teacher Training programs (in autism and related conditions) after my MD and residency, which helped me shape my present status of educational empowerment. Out of all the programs, the Son-Rise program was the most impactful, and powerful program, that pretty much changed the way of my being. Now, I am a mother of two beautiful children: Poorab and Yuvraaj. Both of them are special in their own special ways. One has special needs and the other has extra special deeds. Whatever trainings I did, ultimately, I realized, my children are my best teachers. How did the journey with Sunrise Learning begin? When my first child was born, he clearly needed some “extra special” time and efforts. He was on the autism spectrum (a condition in which the child finds it difficult to stay connected with the environment and people around him, and has various challenges in several aspects of development, particularly interaction, communication and speech). I had completed a 6 years residency tenure at AIIMS by then and was a consultant at Maulana Azad Medical College at that time, and was teaching medical graduates. My everyday struggle to give my time and efforts to my work was getting tougher, and I felt I was not being able to give my passionate best to my profession. It was like riding two horses together. My husband, an anesthesiologist, was actually trying his best to help me balance, despite the crazy work responsibilities, and was the strongest support he could be. I was literally driving all day long, either to and from work, or to and from different fancy therapies, with my little bundle called “autism” as everyone called him at that time. My mother stepped in to offer courage, and gave me a little piece of the most beautiful advice ever, categorically “Motherhood is your FIRST RIGHT and your FIRST DUTY…!! So enjoy the privilege, and do it with complete commitment”. And that was when my new journey began. I found a new beauty in the world around me, in my child, Poorab, and I found a new ME. The more I found myself, the better our connection grew. My child started opening up, and bonding with us. But he was still quiet. No words yet. Silence. Very soon, I conceived again. Despite the words of caution given to me by everyone, including my family doctors and doctor friends, (that there are good chances of the second child having autism too, if the first one is on the autism spectrum), we wanted him, and went ahead to bring him into our lives. Addressing the fears of my family, I said, “We already have one beautiful child with autism, so if God wishes, we will have another beautiful child with autism. We are there to accept and enjoy whatever God has in store for us. And we will welcome His blessings with open arms.” Yuvraaj came like a breath of fresh air. Yuvraaj broke the years of silence, by talking his way into our world and hearts. He started building little blocks of interaction and communication for Poorab. He entered Poorab’s bubble, like no one else could. Poorab found a whole new friend. And this was the beginning of a beautiful love story, of a new Sunrise. My inner forces urged me to take the next step. Towards a better world for children on the autism spectrum. For their clueless mothers and lost fathers. For parents who felt like autism is a horrible disease. And Sunrise Learning came into being. Poorab means East (from where the sun rises), and Yuvraaj means the prince of new learnings. And that’s how my third baby SUNRISE LEARNING was born. And this is just the beginning. I hope we will go a long way. What is your vision at Sunrise Learning? Sunrise Learning helps to teach and train children on the autism spectrum, and helps their parents to empower themselves with better understanding of their children’s strengths, challenges, special needs, learning strategies and coping mechanisms. Sunrise conducts parents’ awareness and training programs throughout the year, to bridge the gap between ignorance and understanding, indifference and sensitivity, hopelessness and belief, and most importantly, between the mothers and their children with autism. My vision for Sunrise Learning is to propagate the concept of Neurodiversity, an absolute acceptance of all kinds of different-minded and differently-abled people, and a complete inclusion of people with special needs into the society. I wish to create platforms of opportunities for them to learn and earn, and live a life of liberation and self-respect, in harmony with the rest of the “neurotypical” world. Can you brief us on the work and the various programs carried out at Sunrise Learning? Sunrise Learning provides school programs, educational and support services to children with autism and their parents, under the aegis of Sunrise Learning Foundation, that is registered as a trust. In November 2014, we started Sunrise Learning as a Preschool. Soon, in May 2015, we got certified as an Early Learning Center for autism. A Sunrise Learning Sports Academy was registered with Special Olympics Bharat in July 2016. Our Pre-vocational program “Ican” started in September 2017. We got certified as a Parents Training Center in January 2018. With God’s blessings, in August 2018, Vocational Training Courses have been started at Sunrise Learning for young adults with autism, to help them stead towards independence and dignity. We are in the process of collaborating with various companies to help our students find vocation. Our school programs include: Early intervention, Sensory integration, sports classes, skill assessments, speech & language development, phonics, social skills training, communication skill development (through PECS and Avaz app), music and dance classes, computer skills programs, outdoor visits (picnics, eating-out, movies etc), night camps, pre-vocational skills program (to teach concepts of time, money, privacy, safety, danger awareness, gender, respect for authority etc), Vocational skills program (retail shop management, tailoring skills, computer courses, office skills course, creative production course, hospitality & house keeping course). Our parents’ empowerment programs include: counselling sessions, training workshops for parents, Mom & Child programs, certificate courses etc. What is your typical day at work? I start my day at work with my children, in the school assembly. The morning sounds of the Gayatri Mantra and “We shall overcome” in the school prayer time, give me the energy and the strength to live each day to the fullest. Soon after, I go around the school premises for a safety check, and check all CCTV cameras. Right after, I meet the Sunrise team, the teachers, who form the driving force of the Sunrise mission. I help them feel motivated and inspired by throwing light on the subtle strengths of the children and discuss all possible signs of progress in the students. That discussion leaves them hungry for exploring more strengths and searching for more signs of progress, rather than focusing on the weaknesses and little failures. Soon after, I sit with the little students, in their classes, and try to see the classroom world through their innocent eyes, and try to understand their perspective, each day, trying to learn something from them. So that I can give that viewpoint to the teachers, for them to understand the children better. The rest of the day flies through from a cup of tea during the lunch break, some individual student sessions and assessments (to look for progress, excellence and promotions…!!), a few parents’ counselling sessions (to bring in acceptance, to help them accept the child for who he is, and love him for his whole self, along with his autism) and responding to a few parents’ emails. I wind up my work day with a discussion meeting with the caregivers of the school, the didis and staff. They form the backbone of the child support system, and they need to be trained, counselled and filled with a sense of pride, joy and enthusiasm for what they do, each day, to be able to give their best. Can you share a few inspirational experiences while working with parents with Autism Spectrum Disorders? There are several touching experiences each day, with mothers and children from various walks of life. However, there is one particularly extremely soul-stirring encounter with a mother, who had come to us for a Mom and Child Program, from a small town in UP. After the 1.5 month program finished, on the farewell day, we were discussing each mother’s unique experiences. She gathered the courage to tell us in a shaky voice that she had actually come from her home town, with her child, to end their lives here. She had planned to come out from her unaccepting home, on the pretext of doing this Training program, and she had planned to commit suicide here. But as the Mom & Child program progressed, she found new hope, and experienced a certain new kind of acceptance for her child. And today, she wanted to scream from the roof top and tell the whole world that “she is proud of her child, and his autism”. And she is willing to go all the way, , to help him find his true potential. That moment has inspired me, to always try to give my best at every possible opportunity to empower a parent. What are your personal perspectives and insights into ‘Autism Spectrum Disorders”? There are several research projects that are already directed towards finding the cause (and cure) of this condition called autism. And the ongoing endeavours would soon give us breakthrough understanding of this condition. As of now, as parents and educators, we really need to focus on what we already know, and giving our best to provide “tools” for helping each child to be able to perform to his best potential. So just like I have found a “tool” to help my vison, we need to focus our energies on helping our children to find their tools for functioning independently and “normally”. We can help them use “good routines”, organization and structure (of physical space, time and activities), schedules, visual supports. Several such amazingly useful tools to help them find their way towards independence and dignity. As a doctor, I believe that autism stems from the gut. I believe in possibilities of several pathogens/ toxins/ entities in the gut, that bring about failures in digestion/ assimilation/ metabolism of certain nutrients. Such conditions lead to metabolism failure (metabolism being a primary function of mitochondria) Giving rise to immuno-inflammatory pathways in the brain Causing slowing down (blockages) of the pathways connecting the receptive (sensory) centers to the expressive (motor) centers, thus giving rise to symptoms of disconnect. However, since the exact pathway is not understood completely yet, its best to make the best of the time in hand and the neuro-adaptability in the young brains, by giving them enriched social environments, and a possibly toxin/chemical/junk free diet. I have also, for several years, studied the good effects of physical exercise and body movements on the functioning of the brain. It is a clear and well-established fact that physical exercise produces several neurotrophic factors in the brain (BDNF) and “happy chemicals” that result in increased synaptogenesis (more connections) between the neuronal networks, thus increasing the adaptability of the brain to learn more, focus more on the task at hand, filter out irrelevant information (distractions) and perform better in expressive functions. Therefore, there is a huge role of gross motor activities such as: Sports Brain Gym exercises Aerobics Movement breaks Sensory-motor games Eye-hand coordination activities Dance imitation and other such activities in managing children with autism which sometimes gets under-estimated in importance, as compared to the other traditional therapy forms. How do you think Autism is perceived in society and what do you think is the way forward? Autism is seen as just another mental condition, believing that a child who is withdrawn, disconnected and quiet, has no “mind of his own”, no thought processes, no feelings and no understanding of his environment or spoken language. Most people perhaps believe that since they are quiet, or lost in their own world, or singing to themselves, they probably have nothing to say and nothing to understand. Sadly, screaming and tantruming autistics are easily labeled as spoilt, badly parented brats. Mothers are judged as being cold and “too busy for their children” mothers. The way forward is awareness. Information about autism, and understanding about the basic wiring of the autistic brain, can become a beautiful bridge towards acceptance and inclusion. Can you please share with us some important lessons that you have learnt over time, in working with children with ASD? Kids are the most innocent souls in this universe. They take things literally. Childrens will never ever make fun of others. Its not in their system. Kids never ever judge a “work” or a job as being menial. Childrens don’t have any such discrimination in their system. Kids can happily mop the floor, and clean the toilets, if they find their calling there. They don’t understand sarcasm and never indulge in gossip, rumor mongering or teasing. Again, its not in their system. Working with people on the autism spectrum has been an enriching experience, coz they have helped us become better human beings. When we work with people who are on the autism spectrum, we really need to remember to “respect our words”, to make commitments that we know, we can keep for sure. We have to ensure that we keep all our promises. We also need to make sure that we give clarity in whatever expectations we have from them, and also set clear consequences for them. Autistics are people of words. They take each word literally. Tips or messages that you would like to share with other parents and caregivers of differently abled children and individuals. Never underestimate a child just because he is not looking at you, speaking, or trying to impress or please you. He is way more capable, than he is able to express or flaunt or brag about. That child finds it difficult to multi-task, and therefore, when he is trying to listen to you and focus on the words, he may not look at you in the eye. So, please do not force eye contact. Let the eye-contact be a spontaneous and natural act. If you are an entrepreneur, who wishes to have a great workforce of employees, and you have work that can perhaps interest a person with autism, then an autistic person is the best employee for you. Autistic employees do not gossip, can focus on the minute details can keep doing the same kind of work for hours and hours without getting bored do not get pissed off by sarcastic remarks nor do they make any they can do amazingly brilliant jobs at visual tasks they don’t care whether it’s a low profile job or people look down upon it, and they never throw loose comments or vague commitments. They know how to keep your word. So next time, when you meet a person with autism, look beyond the lost, disconnected child. See the beauty of the human being in there, who is waiting to be accepted for who he is, and included with all of you, in this very world. And once you understand their world, you would probably love to be included in their world. And they will be happy to welcome you. So, welcome to autismland..!! Truly an inspiration for many, Dr. Sonali has proved perseverance and determination goes a long way and creates wonders. For parents of young children, knowing when to screen for possibility of Autism is important. Article further describes the responses. When a professional informs you that your child has autism spectrum disorder, it may be a new term to you. Many autistic people will also greatly benefit from using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Since autism is a developmental disorder its behavioural manifestations vary with age ability. This is because Autistic people need access to extra support, care, and government aid. Since each person with Autism is unique, their need for support also varies. Autism has previously been connected to emotional, physical, environmental, and health-related deficits. Hence, when they are considered as disabled, it is to protect them from this vulnerability. There are many options available, but be mindful of what you choose! We, at 1SpecialPlace wish Dr. Sonali and her beautiful family at Sunrise Learning Centre all the very best for all their future endeavors! When you have excellent speech and language, you can fully express yourself and connect with people. #Autism #successstory

ISHA or the Indian Speech and Hearing Association is the professional and scientific association having members who are Speech language pathologists, Audiologists, Speech Language and Hearing scientists in India as well as internationally. One of the hallmark activities of ISHA is the annual conference. Over the past few years, organisers of ISHA conference have transformed it from being a student centric event to a professional empowering event. While any qualified speech therapist can practice online, acquiring certain techniques and methods for practicing online can significantly enhance therapy outcomes. When we started online speech therapy , there was no formal training available for becoming an online speech therapist in India. Trainings provided by therapists in USA are great but can be expensive and not always suited for Indian clientele. As a result we created our inhouse teletherapy training programme at 1SpecialPlace. Infact, the best way to start taking online sessions is with your existing clients as it reduces stress for you. Many clients would love the option of taking a session from home instead of travelling! You can also approach past clients who moved away due to a location change. Where was it held? 2019 saw the 51st annual convention of Indian Speech and Hearing Association which was held at our Garden City Bengaluru at NIMHANS convention centre. 51st ISHACON was held from February 7th to 10th 2019. It was divided as Pre-conference (7th) and main conference (8th-10th ). Who Organised it? 51st ISHACON 2019 was organised by Indian Speech and Hearing Association- Bengaluru Chapter (ISHA-BC) in association with Department of Speech pathology & Audiology, NIMHANS along with the support of DR S.R Chandrashekar Institute of Speech and Hearing, Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing and also Naseema Institute of speech and Hearing. Various Organising committees along with advisory committee of ISHA –BC planned the event meticulously to make it a grand success. Who were the speakers? Speakers at the event were renowned national and international experts who spoke about wide range of trending topics which were covered during plenary sessions, panel discussions and also teleconferencing discussions over Skype. Some of the speakers were James W. Hall III, Sudhin Karuppali, Ann Eddins, David Eddins, John Grose, Prathibha Karanth, Subhash C Bhatnagar, Sreedevi Aithal, Shereen Idiculla, Venkatesh Aithal, Ramesh Kaipa, Rinki Varindani Desai, Lakshmi Venkatesh, Sonal V Chitnis, Akila T Rajappa, S. P. Goswami, Supraja Anand, Neha Tiwari. Conference Highlights ISHACON 2019 began with pre-conference with one Skype session along with other plenary sessions. The program not only aimed at creating awareness but also helped to equip teachers in identifying them and also to provide classroom remedial strategies. Students and professionals were enriched with few current research topics like current trends in middle ear analysis by Dr Sreedevi Aithal and Dr Venkatesh Aithal, Voice assessment: Recent developments and implications for clinical practice by Dr. Supraja Anand and other topics like recent trends in Hearing aid technology By Dr. David A Eddins and Music as Language: Neuroscientific prespective on Music and Brain by Dr. Shantala Hegde. Day 1 Day 1 of the conference started with 2 Skype sessions and 8 plenary discussions. Few of the topics were by Dr. Prathiba Karanth on communication in Autism spectrum disorders, Dr Ann clock Eddins on Ageing and Auditory system There was also a panel discussion on professional certification process for speech and Hearing by few expertises in the field of speech and hearing. The day ended with inauguration of the conference by Hon’ble Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, Former chief justice of India Release of E-souviner and ISHA BC directory was also carried out by Dr B N Gangadhar, Director, NIMHANS. Oration Award conferring ceremony was also a part of the evening. Dr. N. Rathna Oration was awarded to Mrs. Maya Prof. R. K. Oza oration was awarded to Dr Usha Dalvi Prof Kameshwaran Oration was awarded to Dr. Animesh Barman Dr. S. R. C travel Fellowship Award was given to Dr. John Grose The day concluded with cultural programs by speech and Hearing students Day 2 Day 2 of the conference also had interesting speakers giving talk on Videokymography by Ketki Phadke, Oral placement therapy for speech and feeding disorders by Shereen Idiculla followed by Skype session on CAPD by Dr. Gail chermak. GB meeting of ISHA was carried out. Mr Javara Nayaka and Reuben Varghese were elected as EC members of ISHA, Dr. Krishna Y was elected as President elect, Dr. Pradeep Yuvraj was nominated by EC members as Treasurer and Dr. Neeraj Kumar as JISHA editor. Day 3 Day 3 of the conference started with the discussion on what are the current protocols for neonatal screening. Eminent speakers were in the panel of discussion. Simultaneously other interesting discussions were carried out by Dr. Goswami and Dr. Sudhin Karupalli on Aphasia rehabilitation using Telepractice and also on language assessment in adolescents. Few of them were certification for Auditory Neuropathy spectrum disorders, Evidence based approach and also on Technological advances and candidacy for implantable devices The day ended with an interesting Skype session by Dr. Sonali Nag on Dyslexia: finding the balance followed by valedictory function. The event also had exhibitors and sponsors who had various stalls at the venue The 51st ISHACON was a grand success and all the delegates went away satisfied with the fare served to them. Team 1SpecialPlace congratulates all the awardees, participants and the organising committee for such a wonderful contribution. We at 1SpecialPlace provide the Best Online Speech therapy In india . Our personalized Online speech therapy works for people of all ages and ailments, and it’s also convenient and fun. In fact, our customers tell us that they don’t feel like they’re doing “therapy work” throughout their sessions. Speech is how you express yourself; it’s what we hear. Language is not only what you wish to convey; it is also what we believe. When you have excellent speech and language, you can fully express yourself and connect with people. We’ll collaborate with you to create your own specialized strategy and uncover your most effective communication. Leave us a reply. Register here. #IndiaSpeechampHearing #IndianSpeechampHearingAssociation #ISHACON #ISHACON2019

Next in our Wall of Fame series, we are proud to feature a Psychologist, Senior Special Educator, Education Consultant & Healer Mrs. Bharati Kapoor. Years of dedication , a farsighted vision and passion to help the society are her hallmark traits. Here are some excerpts from our interview with her. We would like to know about you in your own words. I am a Psychologist, Counsellor and Special Educator. I also train teachers in special education and counseling. Bharati Kapoor am the General Secretary of an NGO Joy Lall Memorial Educational Society, under which we run two main programs- ODE (Optimizing Development in Education) Learning Institute, and EmPower. I also have forayed into alternative healing methods and believe that they are truly going to bring lasting changes. Meditation is a special interest of mine. Have created more than a hundred meditations. Also creating programs in English and Hindi for students is of special interest to me. What motivated you to the field of Special Education and Learning Disability? The realization that even someone with a high intelligence can do poorly at academics wanted me to understand why and how. Luckily I was in Bangalore and was guided to seek help for Dysgraphia. How did the journey of ‘Joy Lall Memorial Educational Society’ begin? The journey of Joy Lall Memorial Educational Society began in 1999 though we registered it in 2004. Joy was my brother who was martyred in Kargil. It started by setting up ODE Learning centre, and beginning advocacy for learning disability which at that time was a humungous task. We started with conducting workshops and a small evening Remedial centre in Panchkula. How does your typical work day look? There are no typical days actually, if I am doing workshops I may be conducting them, in the morning, in the afternoon I visit one of the centers. Late evening I may have counseling sessions in my home office. Late night finds me doing either Skype sessions or creating programs. My normal day ends around 2 a.m. Mrs Bharati was also a resource person for our popular Facebook Live Show – Speech Hour on Learning Disability. Click here to watch the video on Facebook. Who all are benefited from the various services offered at Joy Lall Memorial Educational Society? That list would be very long, many schools, SSA Chandigarh, SSA Punjab, many colleges, specially educational colleges. Universities and of course innumerable children with LD and co-morbid conditions. Are there any training/ certification programs offered for professionals? There are training programs, namely TEACHLD which is for learning disabilities, and a course on counseling and many one and two day courses. What has been most overwhelming experience till date for you? So many, but the one that touched me the most is when a child who had been referred to us when he was in the 6th for mental retardation came back to tell us that he was an engineer and working in renewable energy. We heard about the Fashion Show you conduct for children with special needs. Would you please tell us more about it? What are other activities conducted? That’s part of EmPower, Sharmita Bhinder, my friend, who is the mother of an autistic child, and I started this to bring happiness into the lives of children with various disabilities, we conduct art music and dance workshops for them, we tie up with major hotels and hold programs for underprivileged children You have been in field for 20+ years. What would be your tips/ suggestions for young budding professionals? Train yourself, work with somebody for some time, have patience and believe in your own ability to bring a change, Senior Special Educator, Education Consultant & Healer… How else we can see you? An author, who shall be published soon, God willing. What an inspirational and motivational information for so many young professionals and parents of children with special needs. Team 1SpecialPlace wishes Mrs. Bharathi Kapoor all the very best for all the future endeavours. #BharatiKapoor #EmpowerDivaFashionShow #specialeducator #walloffame

We are back with another interview with the most beautiful super mom and this year’s One Special Woman awardee in the mother’s category – Mrs. Anshul Batra. She is an MBA graduate who left her career to understand and to help her son better in his wonderful journey. In conversation with Mrs. Anshul, here are excerpts from the interview. Q. We would like to know about you in your own words. My name is Anshul Batra. I am an engineer and MBA person by profession. I changed my profile when my son was born with autism and did Special Education in Autism to understand  him and Autism well. Did job in this field to gain experience and learning so that I can help my son well. Q. We are excited to know about Ansh. Please share more about him that we don’t know yet. Ansh was diagnosed with autism and hyperactivity. He is a very charming and good looking boy. He is very smart and intelligent; loves doing skating, swimming and paintings. Q. Did he attend therapies? What changes you witnessed with therapies? Like any other special need child, he too had attended therapies but at some point I realized that what he could learn at home, he couldn’t learn outside. So we did Special education, physical and speech at home. Q. When and how did the journey in the field of arts begin? How did it continue to grow? We accidentally introduced  him to art 2 years back, thinking of giving it a try and he took to it immediately. He is now learning formally from an artist and practices at home every day. Q. When was the Ansh’s first art exhibition? Please share more about it. Ansh had his first exhibition last year – 29th of April at Uchaan Gallery at Gold Souk Mall Gurgaon. Second one was in June 2018 Third was on 17th march 2019 Fourth is coming on 6th of April at Gandhi Art Gallery. Fifth on 19th April at Indian habitat Center. Q. Did you face any challenges on this journey of making him an artist? Nothing is easy to achieve, it demands persistence and hard work. We still face lots of challenges – he has lots of sensory issues. And he is growing so his moods,  and behaviour too changes a lot. Q. Are you an artist too?  No, I am not an artist I am just a full time mommy to Ansh Batra. Q. What was the most overwhelming experience for you till date? My overwhelming moment when his artwork travelled all over to Dubai. Q. How does your typical – work day look like? My day start with dropping Ansh to school and getting my housework done. Doing all my stuff done in first half of the day so that when Ansh’s is back home, I am ready and free to work with him. Q. How does Ansh’s typical – work day look like? Ansh goes to school till 2.45pm. Once he is back, he takes his physical class, art class, or class at home and then has his free time like seeing phone, i-Pad, playing with toys etc. On weekends he enjoys going to cafes with his dad. Q. What are your hobbies and interests? I love designing my home and clothes. Q. Other than Arts, what are Ansh’s hobbies or activities he likes? Ansh is very good in sports activities and he love drums too. Q. You are the winner of One Special Woman Award in the mother’s category, this year. How do you feel about it? It’s indeed overwhelming for me. My journey has just being started, long way to go. You can watch the Award Show which was a Facebook Live here. Q. What is your message to other mothers of children with special needs? Just keep moving, don’t stop, don’t give up… believe in your son and yourself. “Apna time Aayega”! It was wonderful and such a motivational conversation with Mrs. Anshul. 1SPecialPlace wishes her and Ansh the very best of luck for all future endeavours! #AnshBatra #OneSpecialWomanAwards #AnshulBatra #OneSpecialWomanAwardee #walloffame

Andrea’s Contribution , Meet Andrea, aka Andee, who with her magical wand has created The Whimsical World . She has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 18 years and has recently delved into Tele-Speech Therapy in the USA. Telepractice is her new love and she is also a passionate resource designer. She has created various digital worksheets and resources for Speech Langauge Therapy. She is a source of inspiration for all budding Speech-Language Therapists. What is your typical day at work? My typical day begins at 8 am and ends at 4 pm.  I see my students virtually on the west coast between the hours of 10 am-3 pm mostly.  I love working from home as a telepractioner!  Currently, I service students who are homeschooled only.   What has been your most memorable experience while working in the field of Speech-Language Pathology? I was recently at a conference with over 150 attendees, and two young women came up to ask me if I was Andee, from The Whimsical Word, Inc.  They went on to describe how they loved my blog, and tell all of their SLP friends about my creative Speech-Language Materials.  Last year I was completely new to telepractice, so to be recognized by colleagues for my work, only 12 month later, was shocking.  I was overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. You work very closely helping people on a daily basis. Are there any challenges you come across when trying to encourage people to move forward? The challenges I face working with students who are homeschooled are similar to working with students in a brick and mortar school.  Sometimes, older students become unmotivated to log in, or perhaps, behavioral and mental health challenges prevent us from having a prosperous session.  At times, students have very little home support for carryover and encouragement. Tell us about your experience with Telepractice and why you chose it. I began telepractice in the fall of 2016, following a relocation with my family.  I knew that telepractice would allow me the flexibility as a mother and professional. Andrea’s Contribution, Once I started becoming more familiar with the logistics and technology, I knew that I would never return to a brick and mortar setting! After years of feeling burnt out by the school system, telepractice has renewed my passion for Speech Pathology, and created new opportunities for me to grow as a professional.  What according to you are the growth prospects of being a Telepracticing SLP? Telepractice is growing exponentially.  Technology continues to improve rapidly to allow us to reach more and more clients across the globe.  Speech Pathologists here in the United States are looking for more flexible options when raising a family, and telepractice is an attractive alternative to many.  I find it absolutely exciting that we can deliver quality services to people in far reaching areas, who may not have otherwise received treatment.   Your advice for young people pursuing Speech-Language Pathology as a career. I think Speech-Language Pathology is an absolutely amazing career choice.  I would encourage young graduates to explore all areas, including research and development. Andrea’s Contribution, I think it’s important that we look at all the ways we can change the world.  Yes, we can provide services, but consider conducting research, and creating products and technology our clients can benefit from.  Whether you are a “creative type” or a “data type”, we need you in Speech Pathology!  Don’t limit yourself to just being a service provider.   Recommend someone you know for the 1SpecialPlace wall of fame! Mail us at  info@1specialplace.com #SpeechLangaugeTherapy #SpeechLanguagePathology #speechtherapy

CforCAT Interviews Pratiksha- Online Speech Therapy technique has been gaining more attention in the recent times. If you are wondering what it is all about, do not miss today’s interview with Pratiksha Gupta who is a seasoned Speech Language Therapist cum Audiologist practicing since 2007. She is the founder, director of 1SpecialPlace , India’s first Online Speech Therapy Portal. Pratiksha is on the panel of professional online parenting portals and is the author of a series of children’s storybooks that promote speech development. Find out more about Online Speech Therapy and how it can be beneficial for your child. Online speech therapy is still relatively new to the spech therapy scene. Can you tell a bit about some of the benefits of it? Online Speech Therapy or Telepractice as it’s formally known has been around for more than 20 years! Though in India it’s a recent concept, it’s a popular method in countries like USA, UK, Canada and Australia. Online Speech therapy has the power to reach remote areas and localities where traditional speech therapy services are unavailable. Online Speech Therapy is simple, convenient and highly effective at the same time. I founded 1SpecialPlace India’s first Online Speech Therapy portal and we are helping Indian mothers all across the globe. Can u tell us about a typical speech therapy session for a child with speech delay. We always begin our Online Speech therapy program by doing a baseline evaluation session. After which we lay down a plan for the month. Each therapy session is 45 minutes which includes various activities to achieve the goals. For children with a pure Speech delay we would like to focus on improving the child’s receptive and expressive language skills, listening skills, compliance & attention along with enhancing his overall communication and connection with parents. We employ a combination of digital and hands-on activities that are all tailored to the child’s needs. Homework and mother counselling are also provided to ensure better follow-up and carry-over on days when treatment is not held. How do you keep the child engaged in the session when the speech therapist isn’t physically in the room? A Speech therapist needs to see and hear a child during speech therapy, and this is completely possible through online speech therapy which is a video based interactive way of service delivery. We at 1SpecialPlace provide Online speech therapy through an interactive software which has inbuilt features to engage children via digital material which is customized for each child’s speech therapy needs and goals. We also employ hands on activities in our online sessions with the help and support of the parent at the other end. It’s a very effective, evidence based protocol that we follow in our online sessions with children. How can a parent benefit from your online platform? Parents will find 1SpecialPlace’s Online Speech Therapy very convenient and effective at the same time. We have a global team with the best of professionals across the world. Speech therapy usually involves regular sessions once or twice a week. In big cities the traffic situation is getting worse and taking kids for continued therapy every now and then is difficult. With 1SpecialPlace you can get the best of professional help sitting at home. Most mothers who are taking our services are very happy that they can access these sessions with no help from their husbands who otherwise drive the kids around to the therapy centres. Our sessions can even be filmed if a parent requests it, and the recording may be viewed later to observe how the child progressed throughout the session. CforCAT Interviews Pratiksha How is an online therapy session beneficial than a conventional therapy? There are many advantages of Online Speech Therapy over conventional therapy. Online Speech Therapy saves time and cost of travel They promises better continued therapy overcoming situations like bad weather, traffic jams, unwell parents etc. This can be accessed even if you’re traveling to another city They can be accessed from home/office/school You can sit with your child to monitor his progress in the online sessions. Many a times in conventional Speech therapy centre’s parents are not ‘allowed’ inside the sessions and online therapy breaks those norms. Research shows that with online sessions even mothers learn a lot and are able to use the tips and ideas in day to day communication with the child. Hence carryover of therapy is significantly better. Online sessions can be recorded and viewed by a parent later. At 1SpecialPlace we even have group online sessions with multiple professionals where a child gets to improve social skills in a structured environment Online Speech Therapy is preferred even by adults seeking help as they find it flexible and effective at the same time We serve the best online speech therapy in India at 1SpecialPlace. Our personalized Online speech therapy works for people of all ages and ailments, and it’s also convenient and fun. In fact, our customers tell us that they don’t feel like they’re doing “therapy work” throughout their sessions. CforCAT Interviews Pratiksha, We would like to thank Pratiksha for sharing her expertise on Online Speech Therapy! This interview was originally published on CforCAT blog Recommend someone you know for the 1SpecialPlace Wall Of Fame! Mail us at   info@1specialplace.com #speechtherapist #SpeechTherapyprogram #Onlinesessions #conventionaltherapy #OnlineSpeechTherapy #Speechlanguagetherapist

Namrata Pai’s Contribution- Successful, Compassionate, Kind, Determined, Dynamic, Creative, Smart, Innovative these and many more qualities wrapped in a single pack! Meet Namrata Pai, Found er & Director of Magpie Speech Language Intervention Services , Bangaluru, India. With her never to say die spirit, Namrata has carved a niche in the field of Speech Language Pathology in India. Her exemplary work has touched many a lives! Here are some excerpts from our riveting interview with this superwoman! Q. What is your typical day at work?  I usually begin my day @ 9. The clinic is hardly a couple of blocks away from my home, which is a big boon in a traffic crazy city like Bangalore. I start my day with our team meetings with the SLPs at Magpie. To discuss client skill profiles and Plans, Parent involvement, our challenges and of course the successes for the week. ☺ Listening out to your team always helps them believe in their clinical instincts, reminds them that we are in this together. This is also a big motivation for them to continue to excel at their workplace. Mornings are also the time when I have counseling sessions lined up with parents regards their child’s progress in therapy, Future goals and listening out their concerns because client perspective and concerns are an important part of true Evidence Based Practice. As noon approaches, its my Tele-counseling time where I take phone calls from parents and professionals who want to connect with Magpie, allied professionals who visit magpie and existing clients who might have queries that can be tackled on phone. As policy, we *do not* have secretary for Magpie to manage my calls because I feel when I talk to the parents first hand, it gives me the connect to their primary concerns and an insight into areas that the child would need support for. It preps me up for the first meeting with the family and warns me about the interdisciplinary referrals the child might need before they meet me. I take a break of around an hour in the evening, which is my SLP Mommie time with my son where I hear out his chatter. Late evenings, I run my social skills groups. This is my most favorite part of the day and reminds me of our center motto that “You don’t have to be perfect to be Amazing!” That brings my work-day to an end. Though me and my team are all super exhausted, we engage in some jibber jabber before we disperse for the day. Have a laugh over some of the funny things that happened over the day, vent out our wounds, crying sessions and a-ha moments for the day! It is an action packed day for me everyday and gives me a sense of accomplishment. To sum it up…Don’t count the days, make the days count ☺ Namrata Pai’s Contribution Q. What has been your most memorable experience while working in the field of Speech-Language Pathology? In my 13 years of practice, there have been many memorable moments. There are a couple of them which I cherish. One such incident was the joy of working with a non-verbal child who had travelled all the way from UK to India for therapy and was amongst one of my first set of clients in Private practice. It was a challenge and I had a time frame of 1 year to work with the child. I was unsure and skeptical when I started off but by the end of the year the child was speaking in simple sentences and the joy on the mom’s face while she left India was priceless. She had made a sacrifice of staying away from family and stay in Bangalore and that faith and the success I saw made me believe in myself. She gave me a Thank you card which said ” S….. means a lot to me…more than my life! Your efforts have filled a void in my life and thanks for giving S….. a bright future ☺” (Did not mention the name to keep patient confidentiality) I treasure that note and it has always been with me and motivates me! The other experience I have fond memories of, is my first Hanen Parent training program. It was a journey of revelation and discovering so many aspects of family dynamics which we SLPs sometime tend to overlook in trying to achieve our IEPs where goals are mere labels and statistics. It made me realize that intensive intervention is a possibility only if parents are involved and partners in this journey. Most of those parents are still in touch with me and it is always a pleasure to hear from them. I sincerely feel that they all have been my teachers in this journey and have contributed to the growth of Magpie! Q. You work very closely helping people on a daily basis. Are there any challenges you come across when trying to encourage people to move forward? Life with no challenges can be very Boring! I interact with therapists, parents and children. There are different kinds of challenges each group brings on the table. But my primary philosophy with adults has been asking the question back to them. Making them think about what the challenge is according to them and how can they try to make it better. A lot of times the solutions are given by the person themselves and since it’s their own version of facing and overcoming the challenge, it is more effective than me trying to make them accept my beliefs and solutions! Q. You have come a long way from starting with 5 children to now helping more than 150 kids at a time, tell us more about your journey. My journey began in a small garage with exactly 100 sq feet of space and a few kids and their parents who placed their faith in me. At that time, It was called Chetna, simply put was a combination of me and my hubb’y name. I worked there for 5 years! From seeing around 1 client a day I was seeing around 7 to 8 clients per day! It was exhausting but a lot of outside the textbook, learning happened. I had to equip myself with materials, activities and knowledge. Innovate and live up to the expectations is the essence of a successful private Practice where parents spend their hard earned money and anticipate a lot, Sometimes realistic but a lot of times naïve and impractical. Juggling my roles as a new mommie and a SLP, I also started training myself with professional certifications. The more I learnt I realized that there were more questions and answers to explore. I did not consciously advertise or make phone calls to doctors for referrals! There was no Internet feedbacks or reviews then. Whoever came to the center, had heard of my efforts and successes from my erstwhile clients. In 2011, we relocated our home and Magpie moved to a bigger location, which was a house on rent. I worked there for around 1 year with a Occupational therapist . It was the time when I made up my mind that I had some learnings of my own and wanted to mentor young SLPs. I did not want them to make some of the mistakes I made. My aim was give them a Global and Professional work environment, which I never got inspite of working in various renowned Hospitals, colleges, schools and other private centers. In 2012, We moved into a commercial space of around 2000 sqft. I hired my first intern SLP and there has been no looking back. It was a realization of a dream! I wanted to re-launch the center in a new Avatar and called it “Word of Mouth” for some time (symbolic of the fact that I existed for so long without any marketing or advertisements, Thanks to my clientele parents!) till we stumbled upon the name and ideology behind Magpie. I had by then traveled and seen pediatric clinics abroad and wanted Magpie to be one of them, in fact even better ☺. As years passed by we have been steadily expanding. Magpie are at present a team of 8 Speech Language Pathologists , a Psychologist, a Psychiatrist, Occupational Therapists, and a Drama therapist. We have a Operations manager and couple of housekeeping staff who manage the day to day upkeep activities. We have team outings, field trips with kids and monthly events at the center apart from routine clinical activities to keep the fun and frolic going on ☺ Our therapists are our pride and we invest in their training, their well being. We also make it a point to celebrate milestones.  Magpie also achieved a distinction of another “first” when we did a campus recruitment drive for the first time for a pediatric speech language clinic. We received an overwhelming response from students and I am sure our current set of interns that we have hired will continue to contribute in taking Magpie to the next level of innovation and success! Q. You run some interesting Group Modules in addition to traditional Speech Language Therapy individual sessions. Tell us more about them. Our group modules have got us a lot of accolades from parents because of the innovation, implementation and improvisation contributed to, by Magpie therapists. All the group programs have been generated at Magpie with over the last 5 years of evidence based practice, its our IP (Intellectual Property). We also run summer camps which have been well received and have now become an annual event. We currently have 5 kinds of groups. Chatterboxes: A Language group based on the principles of Focused Stimulation for children with basic expressive language skills. Talk Together: A group which incorporates Basic pragmatic skills along with Language. My Social Circle: A groups for Tweens and Teens with Social skills issues Meal time groups: It includes socialization with peers during mealtime and this group is mainly fro children between 2 to 6 years. Rock n Roll: A group which focuses on play music and movement to teach language concepts and initiations in a group. My particular area of interest is in Social Skills training for children and teens. I have the privilege of being the first SLP in India to undergo the Social Thinking (by Michelle Garcia Winner) training at their clinical training center in Boston. Based on these principles, I run my own group programs which are based on concepts like 5 Point scale and Zones of Regulation to name a few. Children between the ages of 4 years to 17 years of age are enrolled in around 5 different age based versions of the same group. We also run Group Parent training programs. Parents are the best teachers! We support a holistic intervention for the child that integrates parent education into the therapy program. They get to meet other parents in the same situations and have opportunities to share experiences with other parents, gain insight from their experiences, and make new friends who really understand what they’re feeling. Magpie also conducts researched parent training programs given by the Hanen Center (Canada). The program selection is based on the reason for the child’s communication delay. E.g. It Takes Two To Talk for parents of children with Cerebral Palsy or Down’s Syndrome, More Than Words for parents of children with Autism/ Social communication Disorder and Talkability for parents of children with good language but mainly peer interaction issues. Q. ​What according to you are the growth prospects of being an SLP in India? Make in India… Treat In India! That’s the motto Magpie believes in. We need our young SLPs to be in India because our children need to benefit from their services the most. Whether its adults or Pediatrics, Hard work, Dedication and Ethical practices are the key to success! You need to keep the Faith and strive towards excellence. With the advent of Start ups and entrepreneurism on the rise. This is the best time to work in India and grow as a professional. But it is important to remember that in the quest for quick money and fame, one should never compromise on the quality of service. It is the most well known but the least maintained attribute when it comes to professional services in general, especially in India. Treat In India! Q. Your advice for young people pursuing Speech Language Pathology/Audiology as a career. With the advent of technology around us and its influence embedded in our daily lives, I see a lot of challenges in child development and early intervention . At the same time technology has also made parents & caregivers aware of the need for early intervention and the role of a speech language pathologist. I feel there has been a spurt in parents/people wanting to understand and appreciate what we do. I strongly believe this is the best time to be in this field as it gains social acceptance and prominence. Compared to other fields, the sense of accomplishment is much more as you can impact another human being’s quality of life. Recommend someone you know for the 1SpecialPlace wall of fame! Mail us at   info@1specialplace.com #Earlyintervention #SpeechLanguagePathology #speechlanguagepathologist

Social stories : A way to break down a task for kid to comprehend What is it – A social story breaks down a task or a social story activity into small simple steps. What is needed – Accompanying pictures that outline the steps. Who needs it- First developed for use with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). This approach has also been successful with children, adolescents, and adults with ASD and other social and communication delays and differences as well as individuals developing normally. I use stories with children to help them understand socially appropriate manners and concepts in different situations. Here are some examples. (feel free to copy and use these pictures) Tell us how you liked our The Gadget Fit story. Book your appointment now For more ideas check out our other blogs #Autismsocialstories #SocialStories #SocialStoriesaboutaustism #socialstory

We are very excited to bring to you this amazing story of Mrs. Suruchi Agrawal. She is the proud owner of two homegrown start-ups and a mother of two children. Mrs. Agrawal’s inspiration is her four-year-old son Anant, who is diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome . We are proud to share her journey with you all. Let’s hear it in her own words. “Passion to Profession…. this is the story of my Entrepreneurship” Let me start my story with my short introduction, Hi, my name is Suruchi Agrawal, and I am the owner of 2 homegrown start-ups Ghar Ki Bakery & Papquill – an Art & Craft Hobby Center, both are based in Hyderabad. I’ve been running the business for 2 years, going onto 3rd year now. I was always eager to start my own business. So, I took the plunge 2 years ago, and haven’t looked back. I am a native of Rajasthan, born & bought up in a small town world-famous for its Tiger Reserve Park Sariska. By education, I am a registered Pharmacist and have two Master’s degrees in Pharmacy (M. Pharm) and Business Administration (MBA). I am also a Fevicryl Certified Artist and trainer. “After Anant’s birth, I realized the presence of another world which is totally different than our normal routine life” I am a proud mother of 2 lovely kids Krittika (Daughter 12 yrs) and Anant (Boy 4Yrs). Anant is a special kid who was diagnosed with Down syndrome by birth and is also an inspiration for my journey so far. After Anant’s birth, I realized the presence of another world which is totally different than our normal routine life. Raising a special child gives you wings of passion and increases your creativity and strengths. I have utilized this strength to create these start-ups and now I am also helping other mothers of special kids including their God gifts to create such examples. “Raising a special child gives you wings of passion and increases your creativity and strengths” I was always passionate about cooking including Baking and sharing it with my friends and family members. But the thing is, I was always a worrier about how to start a professional journey. Luckily my society has a unique social media application that gives the opportunity to each homemaker to share their recipes and even a platform to run a home business. That platform gave me a starting boost and in a short span of time, my homemade cakes and other bakery items were everyone’s favorite. Then with help of my husband we created the Ghar Ki Bakery Brand. Let’s talk about Suruchi’s Ghar Ki Bakery Suruchi’s Ghar Ki Bakery is an FSSAI registered Home-based baking studio based in Hyderabad. We are specialized in customized baking items for any age, gender, and taste requirement. We not only prepare celebration and party cakes (Wedding, Birthday). Also customized taste cakes based on individual choice (Tea Cakes, Vegan, gluten-free, and Sugar-free cakes). “Ghar Ki Bakery’s specialty is NUTRITION WITH TASTE where we use all curated natural ingredients, picked from certified vendors” One of the biggest road blockers of any home baker is when a customer asks them why their product is “not as cheap as the one you can buy in a bakery or supermarket.” Many home bakers take personal offense to this, and rightfully so. Outside baking preparations are most certainly not made fresh and have a shelf life of weeks, if not months. It has this shelf life because of all the preservatives and chemicals that go into it. The ingredients used are sourced as cheaply as possible, making it almost dubious in nature for human consumption. Ghar Ki Bakery’s specialty is NUTRITION WITH TASTE where we use all curated natural ingredients, picked from certified vendors. Our all preparations are preservative-free and made from natural flavors. Our priority is to serve our clients to match their requirements since every cake is special and has an emotional touch. Ghar Ki bakery is currently serving customers of Hyderabad and has planning to launch a few products in the tea & snacks category which can be consumed even after 15 days, hence easy to transport in other cities. My long-term plan is to open a Bake studio along with my Son, where I will also provide training to other aspiring home bakers. Learning never stops, I always try to attend online and offline international bake shows and workshops to learn new baking techniques. Now let’s talk about Papquill : It is started with a new passion to design and make jewelry from Paper quilling and that’s how it named “Papquill (Paper + Quilling). Papquill – an Art & Craft Hobby Center, based in Hyderabad. I take professional workshops and training sessions for offline Kids, Mothers, and Special Kids. I am specialized in Rajasthani Arts, Jewellery making with paper quilling & Terracotta. I’m well versed with other Indian diversified art techniques including Glass painting, Tanjore Arts, etc. “I always believe that “with art, there is no right or wrong answer” I am also working with the Down Syndrome Federation of India to provide Art & Craft classes to our Special kids. These children have problems with speech, language, and motor skills and struggle with verbalizing what they feel and need. This is frustrating for our children, upsetting for their parents, and challenging for their educators. I provide assistance to such parents and their kids. With the help of artistic activities, they can exercise and strengthen the cognitive and physical skills that generally challenge special needs children, such as oral, tactile, visual, sensory, and motor skills. “Art gives children a sense of pride and accomplishment, builds a “can-do” attitude, and enhances feelings of self-worth— notably when kids see other people admiring their work” I always believe that “with art, there is no right or wrong answer. It’s created, shared, and appreciated. To that end, promoting our children’s work is essential to Papquill’s vision to provide art education for children with special needs. We also help kids to showcase their work by displaying their creations on different social media platforms. This gives children a sense of pride and accomplishment, builds a “can-do” attitude, and enhances feelings of self-worth— notably when kids see other people admiring their work. I was the finalist for best mompreneur of the year 2022 facilitated by Vyapaar Jagat. This year my story was live on 21st March through the Famous TV actress Subhalaxmi das on her Instagram handle subhadivaflare. I won the title of Bahubali Chef Award facilitated by best chef Hyderabad in 2022. I am a winner of the Grand Queens Leadership Awards 2021 for the FoodPreneur Category facilitated by Celebration Makers Hyderabad. Gharkibakery’s name was in the Merit list in bread baking facilitated by Homebakers.co.in. I am also recognized as an Emerging Artist by the State Gallery of Art (Govt of Telangana). My other start-up Papquill was also featured in the leading Kannada newspaper “Pravajani” and Bangalore Mirchi 95. I have also been the recipient of multiple online awards. If you wish to feature someone on our page, kindly contact us!  #DownsSyndrome #motorskills #SpecialChildren

It’s time to feature this heart warming story of Dr. A K Kundra and his journey with Autism. Dr. A. K Kundra’s recent project is the Autism Guardian Village ( AGV) which is a unique residential space in India deigned for autistic people and their families. 1SpecialPlace got in touch with Dr A.K Kundra and he has shared this amazing success story which inspires us all. Most people think Autism is a disorder. Autistic people are atypical. But they do not have a disease/ disorder. Autism is not a disability, but a different ability! So, next time don’t think of it as a disorder or a disease. In other words, Autistic people are a part of neuro-diversity in the human race. However, Autism is considered a disability from a legal point of view. This is because Autistic people need access to extra support, care, and government aid. Since each person with Autism is unique, their need for support also varies. Autistic people have a high vulnerability in everyday life. Hence, when they are considered as disabled, it is to protect them from this vulnerability. Team 1SpecialPlace got in touch with Dr. A.K Kundra. Here are some insights that he shared with us. Q1. How did it all begin? When Dr. A. K. Kundra was a teacher of English in the Andhra Pradesh district of Bolarum in 1984, he first became aware of autism. One student was “different,” according to the teachers present. When the child’s behaviour did not alter, Dr. Kundra realised it might be due to a learning deficit. At first, he thought the child was acting out deliberately to avoid studying. A few months later, he made a trip to London where he learned more about the condition and established an organisation inside the Bolarum district school for kids with autism. Dr. Kundra’s first project for the autism community was that one. He has since made significant contributions to their welfare, building an Autism Ashram (shelter house) in Hyderabad in 2012. Q-2. What is Autism Ashram? On the outskirts of Hyderabad, Autism Ashram and SimplyGive Foundation established the first private residential gated community for families with autism in the world. Dr. A K Kundra (who has completed his doctoral research on autism and ageing) observed that a significant portion of parents live in constant stress because they want to care for their special needs child until they are no longer alive but do not have any options for planning for their special needs child’s future needs. While working with families like these and providing residential care under Autism Ashram, Dr. Kundra made this observation. Q-3. What is Autism Guardian Village? Autism Guardian Village (AGV) is a pioneering residential complex in India created just for people with autism and their families. It officially opened its doors in 2020. For families with a child or adult with autism, a ground-breaking idea called “Creating Guardians for Life-After Life” has begun taking development. The region features 84 houses, hundreds of trees, a community hall, a dining area, a hospital, and a cafe, all of which are dispersed throughout 10 acres of property. 35 of the gated community’s cottages are occupied, and the remaining ones are completely reserved. Some enchanting features Guardianship Concept: A Global First All 83 parents come together to take up the role of a child’s guardianship! They jointly look out for the welfare of children. The child whose parents have passed away immediately receives a Caregiver trained by the Caregiver Institute of India. The child is blessed with  a caring guardian in charge of the child’s health, hygiene, and safety. A mini-India with a diverse culture, where families who moved from Kashmir to Kanyakumari now reside and look out for one another. Q-4. How was the idea of establishing AGV born? Dr. Kundra was inspired to build the village after hearing from a number of parents who said they did not want to give up their children or other family members but still want a safe place for them. “Shelter homes abroad have spacious grounds, with one acre set out for five kids. I originally invested a sizable chunk of my own resources in land since I did not want to compromise on it. I obtained 5-year-old amla, mango, neem, and other trees to build up the greenery that helps to quiet the mind after obtaining the required approvals. Each cottage costs Rs 35,00,000, according to Kundra. The management group led by Dr. Kundra, which is made up of professionals and specialists, is in charge of looking after and maintaining this hamlet. Every day, they participate in group activities in the community centre, including vocational training, music, reading, and other things. Q-5. What are the activities held at AGV? The walls of 2-BHK homes are thinner to allow for more space. According to Dr. Kundra, the kitchen features doors that may be kept locked because persons with autism prefer to eat more frequently. If they don’t exercise, people with autism can quickly become obese, which leads to various lifestyle-related diseases. As a result, we have paid close attention to their emotional and physical needs. We have built swings on the porches because they enjoy them, says Dr. Kundra. The entire space is vehicle-free for people to move around freely without the risk of accidents. Dr Kundra notes that people with autism are often fascinated by cars, so if one is kept outside the house, they tend to bang on it. Every activity is made to help the youngster and the adult. For instance, they frequently hold drumming sessions to ease stress and anxiety. Similar to a neurological workout, Working visual, auditory, and motor cortexes, according to Dr. Kundra. Q- 6. What are the facilities in the campus? Inside the facility, there is a general store run by three young adults. According to Dr. Kundra, delivering necessities to cottages is another successful socialising strategy. A basketball court, table tennis, mini golf course, and pool tables are also on the site. There are individuals with autism in every age range, ranging from two and a half years old to 42 years old, which is advantageous for the parents. With the help of other parents, the youngest mother is now able to better nurture her child. The planning of Autism Guardians’ Village, where these families will settle, was prompted by the recurrent theme of the need for life-long care along with the necessity for a location where parents could age while the children grew into adults. To ensure that autistic children and adults are adequately prepared to lead independent lives in the community while being cared for by their parents, all specialised interventions will be provided in the neighbourhood. Parents will also have the assurance that their children will have a secure and predictable future after their own lifetime. Autism is just another state of mind. Q-7. How do the occupants and families feel about this initiative? Their main worries were the lack of information and resources on how to raise a child with autism. The parents worked hard to find therapists and teachers who might help their children with issues including emotional intelligence, learning disabilities, and social interaction. “Our world fell apart, and we found ourselves scrambling to find experts all over Noida. I had to leave my job due to sensitivity issues, inadequate infrastructure, and callous medical care. There were highs and lows throughout the days. To raise our son in a secure setting, we took on the role of hands-on parents. Mona, the first mom to reserve a cottage, adds, “We worked hard to be able to afford everything. A parent ” Mona, a consultant by trade, isn’t the anxious and wary parent she was when she first moved here. The surroundings have made it easier for them both to deal with losing Bhanu (Husband). She has seen a decrease in Tanmay’s (Her son) sobbing and anxiety. He enjoys sitting on the porch, watching people go by, and even says hello to them, which Mona thinks is a big change. With this mission of building a world for families with autism, Dr. A. K. Kundra has not only received blessings but also shown the world that anything is possible. If you wish to share your story with us, write to us at info@1specialplace.com Click here to read more success stories #autismawareness #autismparenting #Autism #Autisticchild #autismactivities