Lockdown makes life of special needs children, parents miserable

Lack of interaction with other students pushing many students to depression

Seventeen year old Nandana is being dressed up daily by her mother Chandravathi to make the special needs child get the feel of going to school. Thereafter she is made to watch online classes from her Buds school at Kasargod in Kerala.

While online education options have become an alternative for lakhs of students during the lockdown days, for the hundreds of students in special schools, especially their parents, the prolonged closure of schools has become a nightmare.

Though online education options have been introduced to students of Buds schools, lack of interaction with other students was pushing many students to depression as well. Activities like therapies have also been hit owing to the closure of schools. With the students with deformities being confined to homes, their parents are finding it difficult to go for work to eke out a living as the children could not be left alone at homes.

On a positive note, many students were exhibiting pleasure of being with parents and siblings for quite long time during the lockdown days.

Kasargod district in Kerala, which has a large number of students with mental and physical deformities affected by use of endosulfan, is severely facing this issue.

Chandravathi said that even as the school authorities were trying their best to keep the children lively though online classes and demonstrating activities, it was not at all an effective as schooling where the children could interact and mingle. Moreover, teaching special needs children require special skills, which most parents may not have. And one serious issue parents face in that they could not go for job by leaving the students alone at home, she told DH.

Deepa Peroor, principal of the Mahatma Model BUDS School at Pullur Periya in Kasargod, said that for students who require special attention, counselling through video calls are being conducted. "We are also trying to get nod for conducting home visits," she said.

As per data available from government, Kerala has around 140 Buds schools in which around 4,800 students were enrolled, half of which are those aged above 18.

More time with family

A positive side of the lockdown is that many special needs children were now able to spend more time with their parents and siblings.

Lathika, mother of 14 year old Anirudh of Kasargod, said that Anirudh was finding pleasure spending time with his brother as well as other children in the neighbourhood. Some other parents have also shared similar experience.

Chandravathi said that though Nandana earlier used to thrown away mobile phones, now she is friendly with mobile phones as her teachers interact through the phones.

Deepa said that while around five per cent of students were down owing to the lack of schooling, many students seem to be happy on spending more time with family.

Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan, an activist working for welfare of endosulfan victims, said that endosulfan victims of Kasargod were also affected by the difficulties in travelling to nearby Mangaluru for treatment and the minimum treatment facilities in Kasargod being restricted to Covid patients.