In yet another first for NRF, a Teachers’ Training Workshop on Early Identification and Handling Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) was held at The Elizabeth Gauba School (TEGS), Kali Bari Marg, New Delhi on 23 March, 2023. The workshop was conducted under the aegis of NRF’s ‘Be Informed’ awareness series. The 3-hour long workshop aimed at empowering the teachers to be able to identify children with special education needs.
Dr Monika Kundu Srivastava, the Lead OT, introduced NRF and the team. Through a detailed presentation that was corroborated by research studies, the importance of identifying children with delays and commencing therapy as early as possible was emphasized. The role of Occupational Therapy was also briefly discussed.
Ms. Jyotsana Wadhwa, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, explained the red flags for developmental delays typically seen in schools through videos and outlined the indicators of poor school performance. Her experiences as a trained teacher and Psychologist were well received by the teachers.
Dr Sugandha Verma, Senior OT, guided the audience on how to handle SEN children in school and the classroom from an OT perspective. Her practical approach and useful suggestions were appreciated by one and all.
Consultant Special Educator, Ms Rajni Nagar’s spontaneous and hands-on approach to guiding SEN in the school and classroom from a special educator’s perspective was presented in a very professional, efficient and practical manner that was highly valued by all participants. An overview of strategies outlined by Ms Rajni along with her personal experiences with children having special needs made the talk relatable and effective.
Twenty-five pre-primary and primary teachers of TEGS and Community Aid & Sponsorship Programme (CASP) – an NGO with whom TEGS is closely aligned- participated in the workshop. It was highly interactive, with the teachers sharing many of their concerns. Our experienced team answered their queries with skill and competence. Written feedback was taken to gauge the relevance and effectiveness of the content shared, and for any suggestions that could help in improving the same. The school authorities and teachers appreciated the workshop and expressed their desire to collaborate with NRF going forward.
