We deliver our services through two distinct programmes;
Activities which come normally to human beings pose huge challenges for special children. These include the following;
We work with children in the following areas to teach them skills which enable them to handle personal needs on their own.
Activities of Daily Living (ADL): Children are taught to do the following routine activities on their own.
Interpersonal Skills: At Khushboo, children develop their social skills to:
Personal Safety and Security: A very important life skill, special children are taught safety measures. They learn:
Home Management and Housekeeping: This skill is important in everyone’s life, more so for special children. Performing household tasks builds their abilities to work on their own and also be of help to their families. A big factor in building interpersonal relationships too, children gain self-worth and respect from their families. Amongst other skills, our children learn:
Cooking and Catering: Children who have a little better ability are taught these skills so that they can be of help to their families.
Education: Khushboo ensures that our children learn basic academics to the extent possible. The focus is on the following:
Children under our care have serious medical afflictions. Hence, these services from the core of our work. Following interventions are carried out by us;
This intervention aims at:
The therapists work closely with the children and;
Occupational Therapy with multi sensory integration:
Developing skills that are a must for daily living is the main objective of this intervention. Designed to improve basic motor functions and reasoning skills, the program helps prevent permanent loss of functions. The intervention uses methods such as multi-sensory stimulation and integration to:
This intervention helps in improving speech of the children, and their ability to understand and express, including nonverbal cues. Our therapists work to;
At Khushboo, counselling is an important and an integral part of the care process. Good bonding with family plays an important role in a child’s rehabilitative progress and this is exactly what this intervention does.
The process of counselling involves:
Pottery:
This unique therapeutic intervention settles and calms children. It also manages to hold their attention for a longer duration and helps them focus. Pottery enhances a child’s sensory development and motor skills. A pottery expert visits Khushboo to guide our children in the art of making diyas, pots, pen holders, and other clay items. Full of creative joy, this intervention boosts our children’s confidence levels.
Yoga
Where conventional treatment methods reach their limits, yoga has shown remarkable results at different levels. Children with Down syndrome and other Development Disability often surprise their families and teachers with quick mastery of basic motor, communication, and cognitive skills through practice of yoga.
Regular yoga leads to a greater concentration, balance , and composure in daily living, and long term gains include relaxation and softening of inner tensions, body –mind equilibrium, and a feeling of energetic buoyancy to carry through even the most difficult days
At Khushboo we ensure children practise yoga asanas (postures), pranayam (breathing exercises) and listen to meditative music – using phonetics for healing. A yoga teacher oversees the session and conducts beneficial asanas for each individual case. After the session, children clean their yoga mats and keep them neatly rolled for the next class. Each day children attend their yoga class for one hour which has been formally included in the curriculum.
Performing and Expressive Arts:
Dance and music is a great way to encourage muscle movements and greater joint mobility. They not only improve muscle tone, spatial awareness, and kinaesthetic sensation, but also stimulate endorphins and facilitate social skills.
These activities are specially tailored to meet individual needs, capabilities, and have the highest level of participation- so much that children eagerly look forward to these sessions.
A new sports program aimed at “Learn while playing” was introduced with the help of an expert. The programme enables children to learn things like following instructions, waiting for their turn, develop alternate solutions etc. This has further enhanced the confidence level of the children. Apart from this, children with little more capabilities are provided with special coaching to participate in competitive sports. Some of our children have done us proud by winning prizes at National and International level competitions.