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Free early intervention programme for hearing
impaired children Anasuya Menon
Bus passes for the children and parents are
provided by the department
‘The objective of the programme is to make
the child speak’
COIMBATORE: The District Disabled
Rehabilitation Office, along with the Cheran
Region Christian Society (CRCS), a
non-Governmental organisation, is offering an
early intervention programme for hearing
impaired children up to three years of age.
More than 20 children are currently
undergoing therapy at the TELC School here. The
Government has been offering free early
intervention programmes in 10 districts in Tamil
Nadu and is planning to expand it to other parts
of the State too, says J. Jesuraj, District
Disabled Rehabilitation Officer.
Early intervention helps children born deaf
in improving their brain power and hearing
capacity. “After seeing the progress in their
children, parents are now spreading the word
about the programme. Now we have people
enquiring about early intervention even from
outside Coimbatore,” Mr. Jesuraj says.
The department provides the financial support
to the NGO which acts as the implementing
agency. Funds provided include teachers’
salaries, room rent and snacks for the children.
Bus passes for the children and the parents are
also provided by the department. Private clinics
and similar units providing early intervention
treatment exist. But, the fees sometimes are as
much as Rs.2,000, which parents from the lower
middle class and the lower class are unable to
pay. The programme is basically for those
parents who cannot afford such treatment, Mr.
Jesuraj adds.
“If deafness is detected early and the child
is given early intervention, it can be trained
to follow speech and even speak,” says H.
Samson, president of CRCS.
In the case of children with residual or
partial hearing, the training will improve their
hearing ability. When the programme was launched
by the Government about a year ago, very few
parents were aware of the concept. But, after
frequent visits made by the volunteers of CRCS
to the homes of such children, the situation has
improved, he says.
The volunteers gave training to babies born
deaf once a week. Seeing the improvement in
their children, the parents continued the
treatment. “The objective of the programme is to
make the child speak,” he says.
CRCS also conducts another early intervention
programme for hearing impaired children at the
MG Eye Hospital as a separate project. It
includes lip-reading, speech and total
communication in English. |
