Durga Deepika is the second child of her parents. Her father is an auto-rickshaw driver, while her mother is a homemaker. They live in Kesavapuram village in Sengottai block, Tenkasi district. Their monthly income is INR 8000.
Durga was identified during a screening program using a validated tool in the Enabling Inclusion app at Kesavapuram village. She was found to be far below average in learning and adaptive skills and had an intellectual disability.
Through the EI app, evaluations using standardized tools for Special Education, Inclusion, Functional Independence and Speech were used to assess her ability and then an intervention plan was created. She was given regular home based therapy which was set through the scheduling feature of the EI app. Every week a community rehab worker visited her. In addition, a schedule was set for visits by a speech trainer, special educator and physiotherapist over a 6 month period. An occupational therapist and speech therapist provided tele-rehab monthly and supported her parents. She was re-evaluated using the same standardized tools every 6 months and a new intervention plan and schedule for therapists and community rehab workers were set.
We focused on improving her communication and self-care skills and helping her learn pre-literacy concepts. Special educators, speech trainers, and community rehab workers trained her mother to work with Durga. We also focused on improving her communication skills and encouraged her to attend the ICDS center in her village.
As of August 2023, Durga has made significant progress. She can now do most self-care activities independently and speaks in clear sentences that are easily understood by familiar people and minimally understood by unfamiliar people. She attends the government primary school at Kesavapuram and goes to school by herself. After school, she requires minimal support from her mother for education. Our special educators continue to support her in learning the school curriculum.
PROGRESS REPORT
