By Deborah Trott | Volunteer
Aspak is a 12-year-old boy with a smile that can brighten anyone’s day. He makes it a point to greet everyone with a ‘namaste’ (traditional Indian greeting). He loves being given responsibilities and loves to help others. Aspak joined SAMADHAN 3 years ago. He had been diagnosed as having a moderate intellectual disability with a condition known as Down’s syndrome, a chromosomal disorder characterized by an extra chromosome 21 and manifested by a round flat face and eyes that seem to slant. Individuals with this condition usually have mild to severe intellectual disability. Their muscular movements tend to be slow, clumsy, and uncoordinated. In many cases, the individual’s growth is stunted. Down’s syndrome is one of the most common physiological causes of intellectual disability.
Aspak had started coming to SAMADHAN some years ago. He came for a little while and then due to some reason, he suddenly stopped coming. After a lot of counselling from SAMADHAN social workers, his family realised the importance of special education and therapy for Aspak and since then, for the past 3 years, Aspak has been coming regularly to SAMADHAN. In the past few years, his family and special educators have seen a lot of improvement in his condition.
When Aspak joined SAMADHAN, he was very hyperactive and would not sit in one place or listen to his teachers. He used to hit other children, and would very often run away from his house. After a year of interventions and special education, his behaviour improved a lot. He was much calmer and had started listening to his teachers. Now Aspak is in his transition, from childhood to teenage, he loves taking up responsibilities in his class, like putting things in their place. He helps other children and cares for the others in his class. He is very loving towards others. He arranges the bags and bottles of other children and helps them take out or put back things from their bags. He loves it when his teacher asks him to do a task or help others. Though sometimes, just like other children, he makes fuss initially saying he doesn’t want to do it but does it after a little while. He has a caring and helpful nature. Without anyone telling him, he runs and gets a chair for anyone who does not have a seat.
At home, he does small tasks unassisted, such as bringing the clean, dry laundry inside, arranging the vessels, tying his shoelaces, buttoning up his shirts, and other such things. He has also learnt how to open a lock with a key. One of his favourite things to do is colouring with crayons. He also had difficulty in the clarity of his speech, but after continuous inputs and intervention from the speech therapist at SAMADHAN, his speech has become much clearer.
Aspak’s story shows how proper intervention, therapy, and training can help a child with an intellectual disability adapt and cope much better in society.
SAMADHAN thanks all the donors who journeyed with us to bring changes in the lives of children like Aspak who are from underprivileged communities, and their families. With your support, we will continue to reach out to the unreached and support to keep them smiling!!!
Links:
By Indu Chauhan | Psychotherapy Intern at SAMADHAN
By Edited by Ms. Kavitha Morgan | Project Consultant
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