'ये रे येरे पावसा तुला देतो पैसा'

'ये रे येरे पावसा तुला देतो पैसा' अशी आळवणी करत जून महिन्याचे आगमन होते. हा महिना म्हणजे पावसाळ्याची सुरुवात आणि शाळा नव्याने उडण्याची सुदधा. पावसाळ्याची छत्री, रेनकोट, पावसाळी बूट - चपला यांची जमवाजमव तर शाळेसाठी नवीन कंपास पेटी, नवीन गणवेष! या दोन्हीच्या खरेदीसाठी दुकानामध्ये बालक - पालकांची अलोट गर्दी उसळते.

कुठल्याही गोष्टीची नव्याने सुरुवात म्हटली कि त्यासाठी 'पूर्वतयारी' हवी. आता ही पूर्वतयारी फक्त वस्तूंपर्यंतच मर्यादित नसून मानसिक तयारी ची सुद्धा गरज असते. त्यातून जर एखादे मूल विशेष/खास/ अपवादात्मक  असेल तर अशा तयारीची जास्तच गरज असते.

विशेष गरजा असलेल्या आपल्या मुलासाठी जर नव्यानेच शाळेत प्रवेश घेत असाल तर खालील गोष्टींची मदत होऊ शकेल.

• शाळा सुरु होण्यासाठी मुलाला अनौपचारिक रित्या शाळेचा फेरफटका करून आणा.
• शाळेच्या वेळेची सवय करा. मुलाची आंघोळ, झोप याचे वेळापत्रक शाळेच्या वेळापत्रकाप्रमाणे काही दिवस आधीपासून आखा आणि पाळा.
• शाळेमध्ये नवीन मित्र - मैत्रिणी मिळतील, तिकडचे मजेदार अनुभव याबद्दलचे कुतूहल निर्माण करा.
• मुलांच्या प्रतिक्रिया तीव्र असू शकतील तरीही नवीन दिनक्रम अंगवळणी पडेपर्यंत धीर धरा.
• ह्या सर्व प्रक्रियेमध्ये घरातल्या सर्वांना सहभागी करून घ्या. मोठे भावंड असेल तर त्याचे अनुकरण करत हे धाकट खास मूल लवकर शिकते असा बहुदा अनुभव येतो. तसेच वडिलांचा सहभाग असेल तर ही प्रक्रिया फारच सुकर होते.
  

वडिलांवरून आठवलं... जून महिन्याच्या तिस-या रविवार म्हणजे २० जूनला 'पितृदिन' (Fathers Day) आहे. तसेच ह्या महिन्यामध्ये Helen Keller यांचा जन्मदिन सुद्धा आहे. खास करून हेलन केलर ची आठवण करून द्यावीशी वाटली कारण अंध, मूक आणि बहिरे पण असून सुद्धा त्यांनी जे काही कर्तृत्व दाखवले आहे त्याला तुलना नाही. नेहमीच त्यांच्या आयुष्यावरून प्रेरणा घेऊया आणि आपले आयुष्य पूर्वतया कारणी लावण्याचा प्रयत्न  करूया.

Editorial : June 2010

June is the month of new beginnings and fresh starts. In India, the month of June usually opens with the first welcome showers of rain which helps to cleanse the body, mind & spirit of all dirt,lethargy and exhaustion. Everything appears new and fresh.

June is also the month of school re openings. After a rather long vacation, the child eagerly waits for the school to begin as he is eager to show off his/her new pencil box, bag etc. and keen  to reunite with friends or make some new friends. However, with the new academic year, come new challenges, which could cause stress or anxiety. There are numerous ways in which a parent can prepare the child for his/ her school  reopening.

• Plan a visit to the school before it opens officially;
• Show the child his classroom, canteen or take a walk on the playground.
  
• Plan his day as per his school timings a few days earlier.
• Prior to school reopening, schedule his daily activities as per school schedule like his play time, sleep times etc.
• Motivate him with positive stories about school experiences.
  

Do involve fathers,also the entire family in befriending the school. It becomes easier if the father also takes an active interest.

This reminds me that June 20th is the father's Day! A day to remember his contribution in our lives. This month we are also acknowledging another great personality 'Helen Keller' whose birthday falls on June 27th. She needs no introduction.She inspires not only  people with disabilities but sets a remarkable example to all.

 She wrote, "A person who is severely impaired never knows his hidden sources of strength until he is treated like a normal human being and encouraged to shape his own life."
How many of us have really tapped our hidden sources of strength? On her birthday let us  pledge that we will try to utilise our potential to the fullest & make use of our energies very constructively.

Dialogue with Kavita

I have been associated with special children, their needs and rehabilitation for last 17 years. My foray into the special Education field, brought about by a personal situation led me to do a B. Ed in special education in 1995 from S.N.D.T. university, Mumbai at the age of 34, when I was a mother of two. I have passed Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a first class in 1981, majoring in Psychology.
:: Kavita Shanbhag - www.childraise.com

९ मे मातृदिन - 'माँ तुझे सलाम !'

'स्वामी तिन्ही जगाचा आईविना भिकारी' असे म्हटले जाते. अगदी हल्लीच्या फिल्मी भाषेत जर सांगायचे झाले तर शशी कपूर म्हणतो तसं - 'मेरे पास माँ है !' आपल्या समवेत आई असेल तर त्रिभुवन प्राप्त असल्या सारखेच आहे. ह्या वाक्याची प्रचीती मला दरदिवशी येते.

मे महिना माझ्यासाठी खूप धावपळीचा असतो. सर्व पालकांची अशी इच्छा असते कि मी त्यांच्या पाल्याचे अभ्यासाचे / सुधारोद्देशी उपायांचे जास्तीचे तास घेऊन उणीव भरून काढावी. अशावेळेला बहुतांशी आईच आपल्या मुलाला माझ्याकडे घेवून येते तसेच वेगवेगळ्या थेरेपी साठीसुद्धा घेऊन जात असते. एक थेरेपी क्लास दादरला, तर दुसरा वांद्र्याला तर तिसरा प्रभादेवीला. न थकता, न भागता घरची सर्व कामे आटोपून, कधी कधी तर धाकट बाळ सोबतीला घेवून आपल्या बाळाचे आयुष्य मार्गी लावण्यासाठी हि आई मुंबई उलट - सुलट पालथी घालत असते. हे माझे आजचे संपादकीय अशा ह्या प्रत्येक आईला ह्या अद्वितीय मातेला अर्पण केलेले आहे.

Editorial : May 2010

Celebrate Mothers Day this 9^thMay !

Hi Folks !
We are in the midst of a very warm summer and in the month that warmly celebrates Motherhood and honours Mothers all over the world. This year, we shall celebrate it on 9th May. I humbly dedicate this editorial to all mothers.

MAY is also a happening and busy month for me, with vacations in full swing and parents requesting me for extra coaching/remedial sessions so that their children can make up for the lag. During the course of my teaching sessions I have come across so many wonderful mothers. Childraise takes this opportunity to salute them through this piece. It is moving to see them struggling & juggling with their daily chores, taking their special chld from one therapy session to another which hardly leaves them with any time for themselves. A mother gives up her independence, freedom, so that her child can be an independent adult. She casts her aspirations and desires aside....yet her child's smallest achievement, development fills her with pride. She is ready to go that extra mile just to see her special one smile.

So true are the following lines written in praise of them:
"The mother-child relationship is paradoxical. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent".

"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary...".

Editorial : April 2010

World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD)

Friday, 2^nd April- World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) & April-Autism Awareness Month & this month WE Are Lighting Up It BLUE to shine a bright light on Autism.

April 2^nd 2010 will mark the third annual celebration of WAAD-World Autism Awareness Day. We want to do our little bit to raise awareness about Autism –a Global Health Crisis. I would like everybody to go through UN Resolution on WAAD