Julian, a child with multiple disabilities, including autism and visual challenges, faced significant obstacles upon entering the Asha Deepam Special School in Crawford, Trichy, five years ago. At that time, he could not recognize his mother’s face and relied on physical attributes like height to identify her. Understanding sizes, colors, and forms posed difficulties for him.

Following his admission, Julian underwent a transformative three-month special sensory integration program led by Roseline Francis and supervised by the Sisters. Subsequently, targeted training was provided to improve his visual aptitude. Through consistent attention and guidance, Julian successfully learned to associate and distinguish four basic colors, forms, and sizes.

Upon transitioning to the pre-primary stage, Julian faced challenges in daily activities such as eating, dressing, and utilizing bathroom facilities due to his visual impairment and autism. A medical examination revealed his extremely poor eyesight and difficulty distinguishing between various objects. Acting on the teachers’ suggestion, his parents closely examined the issue and subsequently opted for Julian to wear eyeglasses to address his vision concerns.

After extensive training spanning several years, Julian successfully overcame the challenge of echolalia. He can now proficiently differentiate between objects in the classroom, recognize body parts, grasp rhythms, identify various forms and colors, and more. Julian has developed the ability to articulate the names of fruits, vegetables, clothing items, cars, birds, and other creatures. Additionally, he can recite morning assembly prayers, demonstrate general knowledge, recall numerical names, and distinguish vowels and consonants. Despite his vision issues, which are common among autistic children, Julian exhibits an impressive memory, recalling details with excellent precision.

Julian’s self-care abilities have made significant strides, enabling him to recount his experiences to teachers vividly. From detailing the places he visits to describing his breakfast choices and updating them on the whereabouts and activities of his family members, Julian demonstrates an impressive recall. He can accurately count up to 20 and adeptly responds to questions from teachers. While limited by a weak finger grasp and visual coordination, Julian excels in recognizing letters and numbers, albeit writing exclusively within lines. His achievements extend to being a frontrunner in diverse activities such as running, potato collecting, frog races, ball tossing, and water filling. Over the past year, he has exhibited remarkable progress in writing, counting, and various other subjects.

Joan, Julian’s mother, expresses her immense joy and gratitude for her son’s remarkable progress since joining Asha Deepam in Crawford, Trichy.

According to her, Julian has made significant strides in his independence, now confidently articulating his needs. His writing skills have seen notable improvement, and he actively shares details about his school activities. Julian’s demeanor has become calmer and more inclusive as he has transitioned from pushing kids away to embracing play and companionship with his peers. Notably, he has developed the ability to follow and respond accurately to his teachers’ instructions.

Before attending Asha Deepam, Julian relied on his mother for basic needs, but now he has acquired the skills to care for himself. He independently prepares for school, demonstrating improved eating habits and effortlessly donning his school attire. Joan happily shares that Julian even approaches her for assistance with his daily schoolwork, completing tasks with enthusiasm and confidence.

Expressing her deep appreciation, Mrs. Joan extends her gratitude to the dedicated team at Asha Deepam. She acknowledges the teachers for their unwavering efforts and commitment, attributing their contributions to the remarkable transformation in the life of her son, Julian, and other children at the school.

By Prasanthi Mandapati, SCN
Bangalore Province Communications
Source: https://nazareth.org/