In Ahead we try to help children and young adults who are mentally challenged, autistic or affected under multiple disabilities. Through a process of structured development we aim to draw attention to the physical, social, economic, cultural and attitudinal barriers that affect our everyday lives as disabled people. We want to reverse the current social exclusion experienced by disabled people. Our aim is to provide and create opportunities for the differently able children and their families, to be included in their communities and enjoy full benefit of life.
In our current infrastructural facilities we cannot provide facilities to persons having orthopedic or vision impairments.
We all have heard people say he's "retarded," but you've also heard people use that word to make fun of each other. If you know someone who has an intellectual disability, be a friend!
“Mental retardation” or “Intellectual Disability” or “Developmental Delay” are different terms which basically mean the same. These are used to describe someone who learns and develops more slowly than other kids, someone who have trouble learning and functioning in everyday life. A 10 years old child might not talk or write as well as a typical 10-year-old.
But having an intellectual disability doesn't mean a person can't learn. Children with an intellectual disability often have a great capacity to learn and become a quite capable kid.
Just like other health problems, an intellectual disability can be mild, moderate or severe. The bigger the disability the more trouble someone will have learning and becoming an independent person.
In AHEAD a team of dedicated special educators and experienced therapists and psychologists provide help for special needs of a child. The team assesses the areas in which a child has developmental delays or lacks abilities to adopt skills. The team formulates an individualized education program (IEP), adopts a structured plan to enhance learning and help the child to best utilize his/her potentials.
It’s a neurobiological disorder affecting brain- it’s not a disease. A child born with Autism grows old with autism. An Autistic person may lack abilities to Communicate, may not develop speech, to say what he wants, may show behaviors that you may misunderstand. Autism can range from mild to severe.The world around doesn’t make a lot sense to an autistic person, so he/she may seem to be aloof.Autistic persons may lack flexibility to adopt change, they are often repetitive and rigid.. Symptoms usually start before age three and can cause delays or problems in many different skills that develop from infancy to adulthood.
Different people with autism can have very different symptoms. Autism spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a word to club a group of disorders with similar features.It’s a “spectrum” under which one person may have mild symptoms, while another may have serious symptoms. But they both have an autism spectrum disorder.
There is no cure for autism, nor is there one single treatment for autism spectrum disorders. But there are ways to help minimize the symptoms of autism and to maximize learning. In AHEAD we provide Behavior management therapy. Special Speech-language therapyis provided improve their ability to communicate and interact with others.Occupational therapists are working to restructure tasks to match student’s needs and abilities. Physical therapists design activities and exercise to build motor control and improve posture and balance. Special Educators are assessing and designing Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help guide the child’s school experiences. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricycles, psychoactive/anti-psychotics, stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs are among the medications that a health care provider might use to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorders
Learning disabilityis a classification which includes several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner. This disorder affects brain's ability to receive and process information. Individuals with learning disabilities can face unique challenges that are often pervasive throughout the lifespan. Some forms of learning disability are incurable. However, with appropriate cognitive/academic interventions, many can be overcome.
Teachers and parents must work in partnership to provide the correct mode of intervention and help a child to grow up to the best of his/her potential.
Children with multiple disabilities have two or more disabling conditions that affect learning or other important life functions. For example a child with intellectual deficits and a sensory impairment such as a hearing impairment is said to have multiple disability. Severe intellectual disability, sensory disability coupled with motor disability gives rise to multiple disabilities.
In Ahead we handle children and young adults with multiple disabilities. Our aim is to provide support for holistic development of our students, help them to overcome their sensory dis-integration problems, improve cognitive skills and make them able to best support themselves by utilizing their potentials.
Positive Parenting is the most essential element in building up a healthy personality in a child.We provide guidance and counseling to parents to overcome initial shock, denials and related stress. Help them to think positively, get connected to their child and be their wards most valuable teacher and friend. Parents are there to provide support, build self-esteem, promote self-confidence in their child, which enables him/her to realize their potentials and utilize that to become independent in life.
In AHEAD, parents’ activities are conducted and encouraged, they are involved in school programs, parents organize Saraswati Puja, accompany us in field trips, help us to conduct pre-vocational interactive classes. They are given training by occupational and speech therapists on intervention techniques with their child. We consider Parents to be an indispensible member of the AHEAD family.