Jamshedpur, March 27 : For parents of autistic kids in the Steel City, Leena Adesara, a resident of Contractor’s Area, Bistupur is an inspiration who fills children with the belief that they too can tap their hidden potential.
Born in Mumbai and now settled in Steel City, Leena makes one wonder at the mysteries of human consciousness. She has not only taught autistic kids to understand their special abilities but has also changed their lives by helping them join mainstream education.
Through her centre, Pramasha, she has been helping kids understand their special abilities. Set up in 2008 in a house at Contractor’s Area, Pramasha promises to be one-of-its-kind in Jamshedpur and the answer to the prayers of many parents of autistic children. Started with a single child the centretoday has 12 autistic kids.
It is a child-friendly centre with classrooms to cater to different kinds of experiences (aural, tactile and so on), there are provisions to teach art, ability and sports. The centre has a play room and a range of surfaces to familiarise and enhance tactile skills of the children.
“I think I was chosen by God to serve these kids. I did my B.Ed in Special Education from Mumbai and started serving autistic kids. I was associated with several centresfor autistic children at Mumbai but after my marriage I was inspired by my husband Piyush Adesara and my in-laws to carry the noble work. When I came to Jamshedpur I set up a centre called Pramasha and ever since I have been serving children with special needs,” said Leena.
Sharing her experiences so far, Leena, a mother of two kids said: “For many parents of autistic children, real challenge begins with their child’s interactions with an insensitive society that expects children to fit into certain conventional patterns. Moreover, even schools in our city or institutions do not cater to children with autism. I conduct sessions for kids and help them through speech therapy, communication and occupational challenges.”
She added that autistic children have different kinds of challenges to overcome. If some of them are inhibited by social interactions, some are extremely sensitive to noise while some are overwhelmed by any changes in their regular routine and so on.
“My idea is to provide a helping hand and provide a place where the parent can come and be there to see how his/her child is being taught and what is happening at the centre once the child reaches our place,” she explains.
Questioned her about future plans,Leena says she wants to expand her centre further. According to her there is a huge need for such centres in the city, but only a few have been trained to share their skills with differently-abled children.
“I get calls from different parts of the city from parents who are keen on enrolling their children. Since I am single handed I can’t take more but I do want to expand by joining with more like minded people.
My aim is to help and empower each child who comes here to enjoy a fully functional, independent life, depending upon the severity of their autism and related problems,” noted Leena.
Article Source: The Avenue Mail