General Objective: A comprehensive approach for the provision of care and support for children with developmental disabilities encompassing diagnostic, health, disability, education and intervention services ensuring inclusion and general social acceptance.

Early identification and intervention of children with special needs (CWSN) is crucial to their development and well-being. The Samagra Shiksha scheme has identified early intervention as key to mainstreaming children within school education. Early intervention is least in rural areas, where access to specialized care is scarce. Often, they found that children who were referred to Satya Special School came in around five to six years of age. Their progress was slow and it was clear that early intervention, in association with large government hospitals was key to better development outcomes.

Keeping this in mind, Satya’s Early Intervention Centre at JIPMER, Pondicherry, was inaugurated in 2013. Satya Special School’s EIC at JIPMER bridges the gaps by providing a centre where rural mothers usually come to deliver their babies. The purpose of the programme is to improve developmental outcomes; strengthening parent–child interactions, training various stakeholders and develop and implement an Inclusive Preschool programme which will ensure social integration of CWSNs. They provide the technical collaboration and monitor for the first 3 years. Based on the various training sessions implemented, they will then create IEC materials that could help care givers, professionals and thus help other Institutional heads to follow a set of guidelines in running EIC programme. The centre also helps mothers, who come to the hospital to periodically monitor their baby’s growth, identify any developmental delays, and provides follow-up support, including diagnostics, therapy, counselling, and other intervention services.

The EIC is the only such program in Pondicherry. Over the past seven years, the centre has helped over 1000 CWSNs and their families access special care and treatment, where needed. On an average, 320 children are identified in the EIC every quarter. Satya is keen to expand this to high-risk districts in Tamil Nadu in the future. The EIC also provides other services for parents including an inclusive preschool program which aims to ensure social integration of CWSNs. A school readiness program helps bridge the gap between special schools and mainstream schools. Satya is keen to help start such centres in four high-risk towns regions of Tamil Nadu—Tindivanam, Chengam, Kallakuruchi and Marakanam— on a knowledge transfer basis, so that local administration is trained to replicate the JIPMER model.

• Multidisciplinary team, comprising a clinical psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and a special educator evaluates children below the age of 6 years using a structured clinical proforma.
• Specialized individual therapy plans are provided to families.
• In addition to identification and therapy consultation, Satya Special School also provides counselling to parents and families, on various aspects of life with a special child.
• A school readiness program, including visits to partner schools, and interactions with teachers helps students and parents become more comfortable with mainstream education.
• For children who are unable to yet transition to mainstream education, Satya Special School provides education in its own campuses.