New
Horizons
Group
NEWSLETTER (QPM/ MNL-01, Vol. II Issue 2) | February - March, 2016
Developmental Pediatrician
Dr. Samir Dalwai (MD, DNB, DCH,
FCPS, DNB and LLB) founded New
Horizons Child Development
Centre (NHCDC now NHD) in
2003. NHD has developed 5
centres and currently houses a
team of more than 60
paramedical professionals. NHD
provides multi-disciplinary
services to more than 300
children daily with a ratio of one
specialist to one child in each
intervention session.
New Horizons Health & Research
Foundation (NHHRF now NHF), is
a registered non-profit
organization
[Reg.No.U85100MH2012NPL2385
6; No.DIT(E)/80G/111/N/2014-15],
which works in the areas of
health, impairment and early
childhood development. NHF
follows a four-pronged approach:
Research, Rehabilitation,
Advocacy and Training.
New Horizons Education
and Training Solutions
(NHETS now NHS) provides
highly specialized solutions
to schools in Mumbai. Our
specialists are deputed at
the school on a customized
basis for conducting
evaluation, intervention and
counseling for children with
academic, emotional and
behavioural concerns.
Established in 2014, New
Horizons Institute of
Education & Research (NHIER
now NHI) is the educational
wing of NHG. In May, 2015,
TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL
SCIENCES (TISS), Mumbai and
NHF entered a collaboration
and offer diploma courses in
Special Education and
Rehabilitation Psychology.
Dr. Waheeda Pagarkar
started the New Horizons
Audiology (NHA) and Hearing
Aid Centre for Adults and
Children in August 2014. In its
first year, NHA has seen
around 400 patients, out of
which 20 were adults and the
remaining 380 were children.
35 patients were diagnosed
with hearing loss of varying
type and degree while 10 were
prescribed with hearing aids.
Heartiest Congratulations to Dr. Samir Dalwai on being elected
President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Mumbai!
Team New Horizons – Foundation Day, Februrary 10, 2016
Towards Newer Horizons - By Dipti Khopkar and Sherin Abraham
The 13th foundation day of the New Horizons Group was a grand extravaganza, with a mixture of work and fun. From the venue to the
menu, everything was spiced to perfection!! An energetic team of more than a hundred members participated in the event. The event
included participation of renowned members of the fraternity, friends and well-wishers. It was a proud moment when awards were
given to deserving team-mates and they were cheered by all. The post-lunch session included special performances from the five NHD
centres and the NHS team. The performances included music, dance, drama, humour and some hidden talents! By the end of the day,
we were already thinking of our next foundation day!
GROWING UP WITH AUTISM
A workshop on “Sexuality in Adolescents with Autism” was conducted by Dr. Samir Dalwai, Ms. Sajeda Ansari, Ms. Lopamudra Dutta and
Ms. Madhuri Holla, for 15 participants (parents of adolescents with Autism and professionals working with children and adolescents
with Autism) on the 13th of February, 2016, during the Velvi Art for Autism Festival in Mumbai. The workshop was conducted by the
Reliance Foundation to help parents and professionals to understand and develop effective ways of inculcating safe habits among
children and adolescents with Autism. Dr. Dalwai explained the need for understanding physical-emotional developments and related
concerns among adolescents with Autism as well as safety measures to be taken by parents. Ms. Ansari, Ms. Dutta and Ms. Holla
together conducted activities which parents could learn from and utilize to explain good-touch and bad-touch, personal boundaries and
learning to say ‘No’ to children and adolescents. Participants were engaged in the workshop and shared their experiences and concerns.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE - BY BHAVYA GOUR CHANDRAKAR, NHD
A Developmental Intervention room often looks like an indoor playground. There are balls and swings and puzzles and games.
Parents sometimes wonder why it is so important for their children to “play”. Bhavya explains how, sometimes, playing can be
serious business!
Ball Pool: A pediatric ball pool is a soft-sided pit or pool filled with colorful, hollow plastic balls. The attractive and vibrant
colours combined with the soothing texture of the balls provide full-body tactile input needed in intervention in a wide variety
of disorders affecting sensory integration.
Puzzles: Puzzles help us
learn and practice a
multitude of skills like
visual perception and
analysis, fine-motor
control, project
completion, and patience.
They can be played alone
or in a group, and they
cover a wide variety of
subjects and skill areas.
Beads: Beading is an excellent leisure
activity, promoting children’s
development in the following areas:
- Fine motor, visual perceptual, visual
motor and cognitive skills
- Dressing skills (especially clothing
fasteners, like buttons and zippers)
- Pencil grasp and pencil control during
colouring and writing activities
Swing: Swinging, jumping, spinning and rocking are important to
children not only for fun and exercise but also to help their bodies
organize and regulate their sensory systems. Vestibular input is one of
the core elements of sensory integration intervention. Our bodies’
vestibular system is the sensory system that provides the primary input
about movement, balance, spatial awareness and positioning. It helps us
prepare our posture, maintain our balance, properly use our vision,
calm ourselves and regulate our behavior.
The amount of vestibular input varies depending on the child. Some
children crave movement, while others may be motion-sensitive. It is
important that the sensory needs of the child are monitored to
determine what is right for them. Controlled vestibular input under the
direction of Developmental Specialists is recommended for children
with sensory processing issues.
Movement is essential for typical development to occur in all children.
Swinging can have a powerful impact on the brain’s ability to process
and use sensory information. Whether the child is linear swinging on a
strap swing specialists, cuddled up in a net swing for proprioceptive
input or spinning in a rotating movement, all of these movements can
act as a powerful activator on the body’s systems. Swings and a variety
of other sensory inputs are used in this type of intervention. Therapists,
parents and teachers can use swings effectively to reinforce any
intervention objectives for children and provide sensory diets for special
needs children. In addition, swings can act as a strong motivator. Since
all children like to swing (special needs or not), swinging can be used as
a reward for positive behavior.
Swiss Ball: Swiss balls / Exercise balls/ Intervention balls are commonly used in developmental intervention. These are used to for both motor and sensory
intervention. Swiss balls can be easily used, even at home, to provide vestibular and proprioceptive input.
Proprioceptive Sensation: Gently pressing the ball over the child’s body (care should be taken not to press to hard over the abdomen). This can also be
combined with a technique called neutral warmth i.e: the child is wrapped in a blanket tightly and then the ball is used. The activity can be performed by the
usual Swiss balls, or even pea balls. A pea ball is a modified Swiss ball in the shape of a peanut, thereby helping you to control the amount of pressure given
to the child more easily.
Providing Vestibular Sensation: Bouncing a child on the ball can be fun. Make this activity even more fun by using a hippity ball (it has a handle the child can
hold on to, while bouncing). This allows the child to bounce themselves without falling off. Count the number of times your child can bounce on it.
Wooden Peg Puzzles are puzzles with large plastic or foam pieces that each form a complete picture and they are a great place to begin for
toddlers and young children. Each picture fits into a shape cut-out in a wooden board. They help foster hand-eye coordination, spatial concepts, and
problem solving. These puzzles help to teach shapes, numbers, letters and animals. Introduce a puzzle with the fewest pieces first, then gradually
present puzzles with increased numbers of pieces and complexity. Encourage speech and vocabulary development while playing with puzzles.
Jigsaw Puzzles have pieces with random shapes that fit together in a specific way to make a larger picture. This type of puzzle helps develop spatial
concepts and reasoning as players must analyze shapes more closely. Trial and error is essential in fitting shapes together. You can find puzzles
with pictures, cartoons, geography, science, and other subjects and scenes on the front of the box. This helps guide players in sorting pieces by
color or pattern as they try to logically fit them together to complete a scene.
Hidden Picture Puzzles help develop visual skills as players use their eyes to find hidden pictures or subtle differences. With hidden picture
puzzles, players “filter” through a detailed background picture to find a much smaller hidden picture. Hidden picture puzzles become more
complex as the background picture becomes more detailed and the hidden pictures get smaller. Developmental Specialists will often use these
types of puzzles during intervention to work on visual-perceptual skills.
TO BULLY OR NOT TO BULLY - BY VIDHI SHETH, NHS
A workshop on bullying was held in a mainstream school in Mumbai by New Horizons Education and Training Solutions (NHS) on
18 and February 23, 2016. Vidhi Sheth shares her experience: Having a receptive audience is very important when it comes to
conducting workshops hence when I conducted my workshop my main aim was to make the students introspect along with speaking
out their thoughts and feelings. My workshop was based on bullying and effects of bullying on other people. The target audience was
Grade V and Grade VI. The children were made to understand what bullying means and what are the different ways one can get
bullied. We introspected further on the impact it has not just on the victim but also on the bully. The children were helped to go
beyond what they see and try to empathize with the people involved because we all react in ways that comes naturally to us but
putting an end to it after the awareness is a choice we make. Visual aids were used to help the children take in information through all
their senses. After the workshop ended, the children seemed more open towards me due to which they were able to come and
inform me about witnessing someone being bullied or about being bullied themselves. For me, that itself was a step forward. The
trustee along with the teachers of the school gave a positive feedback. It takes a lot of effort to spread awareness and reach out to
people but when even five out of a hundred people resonate with you and take it forward, that is the change we are looking for!
THE COLOURS OF LIFE - BY DIKSHITA CHOUDHURY, NHI
Indradhanush - The Colours of Life, was a program organized and
presented by the students of the TISS-NHF Post Graduate Diploma in
Special Education. The program was held at New Horizons Child
Development Centre, Goregaon East, on the 9th of March. The occasion
was graced by Dr. Samir Dalwai and eminent pediatrician Dr. Rashid
Merchant. This program aimed at involving the PGDSE students and their
family members and friends to be a part of their learning process. A
collaborative effort was made by all to reach out to the wider community
and make them aware about the concerns and issues involved in the
development of children and adolescents. There was a lot of interaction
between the students and the visitors. The event was intellectually
stimulating, enjoyable and memorable!
A TEACHER IS BORN - BY DIKSHITA CHOUDHURY, NHI
The TISS-NHF Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education offers an extensive curriculum in the areas
of child development, early intervention and special needs. The students from the current academic
batch conducted practicals which comprised of evaluation of children with academic concerns from
the Goregaon English School in Goregaon East. More than 35 children from GES were evaluated and
26 children were identified for educational intervention. The practical sessions followed the systematic
pattern of evaluation, intervention and re-evaluation from December 2015 to February 2016. In the
process, the PGDSE students learnt the techniques of special needs teaching and the children
benefited because potential areas of development were identified and methods and tools were
customized for each child.
EDUCATIONAL WEEK
In February and March
2016, NHD centres
celebrated education by
bringing more fun into
learning. Education
Specialists conducted
group-sessions involving
activities designed to teach
specific academic skills.
ROCK ON!!
On 20th March, New Horizons Little
Champ Ankur Patole shined on
television in an eposide of Mission
Sapne on Colors. Ankur interacted
confidently with host Sonali Bendre
and mega-star Alia Bhatt, sharing his
dream of inventing a car that would
move on land, air and water. Dr. Samir
Dalwai participated in the event,
spreading the message of inclusion in
schools, explaining why children with
special needs should attend
mainstream schools.
Collecting Data
Behind Every Successful Organization is a Team that Collects the DATA – By Team NHF
Team NHF has successfully managed to collect the reports of children evaluated at all NHD centres in the years 2013-2015. A special thanks to Ms. Meghashree Vartak for providing the research
team with all the reports and Ms. Arti Devi for sorting the huge number of reports department and year-wise. It would not have been possible to collect 9664 reports without their help. Not to
forget about our dear Centre Heads who would patiently give answers to all our queries regarding evaluations and re-evaluations. With weeks and weeks of discussions and brain storming team
NHF together formulated the codebooks and BANG! our excel sheets were ready: now we could start feeding in the DATA! With the help of our interns we started feeding in the data. But wait, the
journey wasn’t that smooth: while coding there were a number of changes with regard to adding variables which we had to make in our excel sheets and codebooks. Thanks to Ms. Deepti Kanade,
who was constantly there on the phone with us, helping us clear all our doubts and move ahead, making sure that nothing would act as an obstacle in our work. Our team was operating from
different locations, hence coordinating these changes and making sure that all of us were on the same path was a task. This is when our dear Whatsapp came through for us. We would discuss our
doubts and communicate the changes through this wonderful application. Our process has been going smoothly and very soon our wonderful data thanks to the hardwork and efforts put in by
everyone at New Horizons will be ready for ANALYSIS, giving all of us a chance to choose a topic of our interest, write papers and become authors!
In order to write papers one first needs to be able to understand and evaluate other articles. Thus to help out our colleagues with this we started the “Journal Club”. A journal club is a group of
individuals discussing, analyzing and reviewing academic literature. An initiative started by Dr. Samir Dalwai, we have held 4 Journal Club meetings so far and have been able to cover a wide variety
of topics. In the first journal club, a paper on “Maternal Gesture Use and Language Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” was presented for discussion by Ms.
Elyska deSa and Ms. Diksha Gajria. The presentation was followed by a very interesting discussion. After getting valuable inputs the topic for the next Journal Club was focused on intervention
strategies. A paper on “Measuring Changes in Social Behavior during a Social Skills Intervention for Higher-Functioning Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder” was presented for
discussion by Dr. Ameya Bondre. The third Journal Club meeting was conducted by our very own clinical psychologist Ms. Madhuri Holla who presented a paper on "Intervention Effects for Students
with Co-morbid Forms of Learning Disability: Understanding the Needs of Non-responders." The fourth Journal Club meeting was focused on the work done at our own centre. Data from New
Horizons on sub-types of LD was studied and analyzed by Dr. Ameya Bondre. Effects of remedial intervention on various sub-types of Learning Disability was analyzed and presented. Dr. Rashid
Merchant, eminent pediatrician attended the Journal Club meetings and gave his valuable inputs.
While the coding and the Journal Club meetings have been going on, we have had other achievements too. Our very own Audiology paper titled “Cognitive, Behavioural and Emotional
Co-morbidities in Children with Hearing Impairment in India” has been published in the Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities.
Congratulations to Dr. Waheeda Pagarkar, Dr. Samir Dalwai, Ms. Chetna Duggal, Ms. Sohini Chatterjee, Ms. Dania Siddiqui, Dr. Ameya Bondre, Ms. Ankita Thotam, Ms. Deepti Kanade and
everyone at New Horizons!
NHD and NHA
Goregaon (West)
NHD - Goregaon (East)
NHD - Santa Cruz (West)
2nd Floor,Techniplex II, Techniplex Complex,
Veer Savarkar Flyover, Goregaon (West),
Mumbai - 400 062.
Ground Floor, Saira Mansion,
Pahadi School Road 2, Goregaon (East),
Mumbai - 400 063.
Shop No. 47, 1st Floor, Hi-Life Mall, Opp.
Santa Cruz Station, Santa Cruz (West),
Mumbai - 400 054.
Tel: 022 60600650/ 7506171240
Tel: 022 65711586
Tel: 022 26465649 / 9819224415
NHD - Bhandup (West)
NHD - Dadar (East)
Pawar Public School, Opp. Dreams
Mall, Off LBS Marg, Bhandup (West),
Mumbai - 400 078.
1st Floor, Jeevak Nursing Home, Sai Kunj, MMSG Marg,
Dadar (East), Mumbai - 400 014.
Tel: 022 21663024/ 9769669332
New Horizons Group - www.enablemychild.org
Tel: 022 65287397/ 022 24144596 / 7506171230
www.enablemychild.org
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/newhorizonscdc