Play is a physical or mental activity that is performed for leisure, pleasure or delight. While the play has no obvious objective, it is an important tool for physical, social, learning and intellectual development. All these lead to changes that allow children and adults to achieve their maximum potential.

The play has many characteristics that are crucial for brain development and learning. It offers opportunities for children and adults to encounter new experiences and refine already existing skills. It also encourages creativity in children and adults.

There are many different types of play.

1. Gross Motor Play: This type of play involves whole-body movements and large muscles of the body to perform everyday functions such as standing, walking, running, jumping, swimming, throwing, dancing and so on. Gross motor play helps in improving balance, increased strength, and better postural control.
2. Fine Motor Play: Fine motor play involves the use of the smaller muscles of the...

When teaching young learners, teachers need to adopt a balanced teaching style which includes a variety of activities often called either stirrers or settlers. Stirrers are activities which encourage students to be active and dynamic which may include standing, hopping, strolling and running. Settlers are activities opposite to stirrers. It involves learners to sit down and be calm.

It is important for teachers to use these different activities to establish a routine in the classroom. And also to use the activities to make the unfamiliar surroundings familiar to young learners. Some of the stirrers and settlers activities are as follows:

1. Create a positive learning environment for the young learners where the young learners have the freedom to select his/her activities and the teacher either add/remove materials as needed).
2. Create a controlled atmosphere right from the beginning by allowing the kids to enter the classroom and settle down quickly in small groups (for instance if a...

There are a lot of heroes in the special needs community, quietly doing their job, inspiring many, and impacting a lot of students and educators. People who have been lucky to have crossed paths with one such hero are willing to share their experience with the community. This 5th of September, let us celebrate them together!

1) Jude has inspired me by showing me how to be more sensitive and to think from different perspectives. To keep a balance in life and to live life to the fullest. To be a child at heart and to love what you do and to do it with great passion. 

- Story by Monisha Rodrigues, Counsellor, Remedial Educator

About Jude from Monisha -  A cheerful .. Motivating person with a heart of gold for individuals with Autism and other neurological disabilities. A music therapist who never stops encouraging others to put all that he has into making it a better place for those with disabilities...

2) Despite being a person with blindness Mr....

There are hundreds of day-to-day life situations where positive reinforcements are used. A boy gets a candy after helping someone, a baby takes his first steps and everybody claps, a student gets a star on his hand after nicely doing his worksheet, a girl gets a hug from her grandpa after picking up his cane, an employee gets a bonus for extra work hours, a customer gets a soap-free when he buys two, a soldier receives feedback by his sergeant upon successfully completing the task, a child with special needs receives a cookie and a high-5 with a big smile from his teacher when he successfully completes stacking a tower, etc. There so many more such examples where either we use them, not even knowingly; and we are also being used these techniques upon (e.g. in the example of the customer). 

In all the above examples, one link is common. Something happens or something is done and after that (or as a result of that) a positive, enjoyable entity is added. This “added...

Caregiving is a demanding task. When it comes to caring for a loved one with special needs, caregivers can face many struggles and challenges. It can also become a full-time responsibility for some caregivers. Some caregivers even gave up their careers in order to provide full-time care for their loved ones with special needs.

Caregiving is stressful and caregivers are prone to suffer from caregiver stress which in the long run can lead to caregiver burnout. And there are stress-relieving strategies that caregivers can adopt to help mitigate the stress impact. Hence, to be able to provide caregiving in the long term, it is important to strike a balance between caregiving and stress relieves.

To strike a balance between caregiving and self-care, it is necessary first to learn to be able to identify signs or symptoms of caregiver stress. Some of the common signs and symptoms of caregiver stress are listed below: 

• Constantly feeling lethargic and exhausted
• Not getting sufficient...

 Reading is a skill and we are all aware reading fluency is critical. Learning to read can be a daunting task for learners with autism spectrum. However, by applying the correct coaching techniques and understanding the learner’s interest and learning capability, coaching a learner with autism spectrum to read can be much easier.

Conducive Environment 

Learners with autism spectrum disorder are vulnerable to distractions. They have the tendency to get distracted by sounds and brightness and may not be capable to filter out irrelevant details such as noises and visual information. They may get distracted from the sounds or noises coming from fans or even the air conditioners.

It is recommended to provide a quiet room for the learner. Ensure outside noise are kept to a minimum. And do not sit the learner facing bright sunlight or near to a flickering fluorescent lighting. Instead, try opting for natural light or reading lamp for the reading session, as this can...

“The future depends on what we do in the present!” -Mahatma Gandhi

Punishment or discipline? It’s an age-old debate, isn’t it? However, if dealt with the right attitude, care and consistency this would be an easy task.

The dictionary meaning of discipline is “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience.” However, the recent trends show a shift from using punishment as a tool to enforce discipline in a child.  

Punishment is about dominating a child: Instead of teaching the child the right ways to manage himself/herself, punishment may affect the self-esteem of a child. Mostly, it results in changing the manner a child thinks of himself. A UN agency  states that a serious punishment could make a child  consider “himself/herself bad", rather than thinking that “he/she has made a bad decision”  
Discipline teaches children...

When it comes to improving a child’s grades, parents would go all out to find the right tutor for their child. However, finding the right tutor can be quite a nightmare for some. Parents either ended up with an inexperienced tutor or the child isn’t able to connect with the tutor.

While some parents rely on referrals from trusted sources such as school teachers, friends, or family members, some parents would go through great measures by scouring the web to look out for the right tutor.

There are many factors parents should consider prior to hiring the best tutor. Here are 4 recommendations for parents to consider when hiring a tutor for their child.

Check Academic Credentials:

It is essential to check the tutors credentials in order to be able to know if the tutor has the ability to teach the subject matter. Parents may request for the academic credentials from the potential tutors and at the same time ask the type of academic training the potential tutor has in the...

Just like adults, children are also susceptible to all forms of stressors such as studies and the environment. That is why it is important to ensure the learning environment is conducive for a child. Getting the learning environment right for the child is extremely crucial. This enables the child to focus better, reduces stress, and promotes better engagement during lesson time.

Here are 3 common learning environments that could affect a child’s learning ability.

Cleanliness:

A clean learning environment is crucial as it maximizes the learning experience of the child. Dirty and messy environments would have a negative impact on the learning ability of the child as it can cause distraction and hence affecting the child’s overall performance during lesson time.

Lightning:

Lighting is an important factor that enables the brain's ability to focus. Dim lighting has a negative learning effect by making it difficult for the child to clearly see the words. Excessive lighting...

Have you ever felt bad for saying no to your kid from doing the things he or she likes but it’s not good for him or her? Well, you shouldn’t because you are just being a responsible parent by doing that. But wait, have you been responsible enough to give the required amount of positive attention along with the negative consequences for wrongdoings? If not, then it’s time to change! A daily dose of ‘time in’ can significantly reduce the need for ‘time out’, when you want to parent your kid the right way. Parenting is a 24*7 job, and undoubtedly a parent needs to be attentive all the time, but at least for 15 minutes in a day, parents need to give their undivided attention to the kids. No phone, no television, no daily chores, and no multitasking. It should just be you and your kid. And while you do that, here’s a checklist for you to follow:

1) Stop asking, start listening: Stop quizzing your kid with too many questions, it...