Author Archive

Kalpaga is eight years old. She was born with a severe intellectual disability, so her parents gave her up to the Cradle Baby Center in Dharmapuri. She was sent from institution to institution before finally landing up at Sri Arunodayam. Her physical and social development was severely delayed and she needed constant supervision. Physiotherapy is transforming her life – she can now stand and walk on her own, and her hand-eye coordination has improved tremendously. At long last, she is beginning to learn to enjoy life!

Arul was abandoned at Thiagarayar Nagar bus stand, Chennai. His family had packed a bag containing his clothes, which they left behind along with him. He has cerebral  palsy and severe intellectual disability. He was completely bedridden, incoherent, and unable to use his hands. Working the program, he is now partially dependent. He can crawl, indicate his needs, feed himself, and speak clearly. He can recite 5 Thirukurals and is making good progress.

Sai Lakshmi is six years old. She came to us when she was just two months old.She has a mild form of intellectual disability with developmental delay, hemiplegia, and has a tumor on her brain stem. She had no head control, was very tiny and  fragile, her muscles were flaccid and she could only lie in bed and do nothing else. She also had tuberculosis (of which she is now cured). Regular physiotherapy has almost completely changed her. Swiss ball exercises helped her gain head control and the therapist is working to strengthen her hip and abdomen muscles. She can now sit for long periods and even walk with a walker!

Sophia is now eleven years old. She came to us when she was ony three. She has moderate intellectual disability.
When she was admitted she could not eat solid food, speak or even indicate her needs. Today, she is our poster child for education. She joined the Government school in 2017 after passing a psychological evaluation – testament to the exceptional work done by our Special Educators. Sophia is studying under the ‘inclusive learning’ program at her school.