2 day Workshop on Social Communication Development for Children with Special Needs

Ludhiana, January 22, 2017: Ashirwad-The North India Cerebral Palsy Association and Ms Neha Madhok organised a 2 day Workshop on Social Communication Development for Children with Special Needs at Guru Nanak Public School on 21st and 22nd January 2017.

Ashirwad runs an early intervention program for children with cerebral palsy, autism , ADHD and Down syndrome.

The resource persons for the workshop were Ms. Sara Ann Schuchert, California, Consultant-Therapist-Trainer in Social Communication, Founder of Language Development Services and Ms. Parul Gupta, Child Psychologist, Founder of Potentials Therapy Centre, Delhi.

The workshop was attended by 85 persons including parents of special children, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, mainstream school teachers and special educators from all over Punjab and Chandigarh.

Parul Gupta and Sara Ann Schuchert discussed and defined social communication and shared the basic features of their therapy model "Eye to I" with participants.

They demonstrated how the Eye to I therapy method uses a child's own enjoyment and existing skills to build communication through play, sounds, words and interaction. Participants asked questions about very young children, as well as teens with communication and learning difficulties. This workshop reviews the meaning and roll of social communication, ways to reduce anxiety, techniques for parents and teachers to verbally guide children with difficulties, sensory needs and hands on play activities, as well as stages of language development. Participants can immediately put learning into practice by using the activities in their own ways.

Such a workshop was organised for the first time in Punjab with the objective of empowering therapists , teachers and caregivers with evidence based techniques to enable them to help children with communication disorders.

The event was supported by Special Olympics Punjab, Ludhiana chapter.