Educational experts come together to provide personalised learning to special children at Cornerstone

They say every child is special but there are some children who have special needs. Their wants go beyond the usual obstinate materialistic demands and insist on sensibility, acceptance and understanding from their educator. These children have learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Boosting these kids towards realising their potential and giving them inclusive education is of utmost importance. And this time to take up the Herculean task are educational psychologists, special educators, counsellors and experts- Madhvi Kapoor, Reena Bonagiri, Sandy Andrade, Rashmi Kothari and Hema Nair who reach out in the most individual way offering counselling, remedial teaching in English and Marathi, supporting groups, holding therapeutic workshops and more, to children with learning challenges as well as to their parents. This is the motive behind their organisation Cornerstone. Launched in June, Cornerstone now attends to over ten children.

"It is a condition. Giving the child overcoming and coping strategies we alter the way they process particular information. Using his strengths, step by step, consistently and systematically there can be almost up to 90 percent recovery. To imbibe self confidence and addressing them accordingly is very important. There are very bright kids and there is no difficulty at the sensory level. The problem lies at the perception level and is child centric. Hence we attend to the needs amd then make a special programme to follow up with," says Kapoor.

These children come to the centre after their school hours to learn and are in turn studied. "The child comes with a diagnosis. We identify the levels and have remediation and recommendations. Although we follow an international system, it has been implemented in Marathi as well with an intention to cover a larger part. The age group varies from five to 13 years. However, the younger the better since at a later age, the child needs to unlearn before he starts again," adds Bonagiri.

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