Daddys Lanka; Providing Professional Care for Children with Autism
“Social responsibility is collective moral behavior that is absolutely necessary for the betterment for the whole community.
Individual social responsibility can only function if individuals rise above the self-interest and opt for solutions which will benefit a large number of people. Every individual can make a small contribution to society be it any form- from giving up their individual position in a long line to a parent of a crying child at the back of a long line, helping the neighbors to clean the area to establishing a charitable organization to support burning social issues or improving the quality of lives for individuals and their families. Finally it is all about being accountable for our actions and being conscious of the impact our action on others that also gives great self-satisfaction and peace”.
These are the views of Dr. Sudath Damsinghe, a Medical Doctor and a media personality and who also founded the organization Daddys Lanka fifteen years ago that provides total care to children with autism, Asperger’s, ADHS and other developmental and special needs.
Can you tell us what inspired you to start this organization?
Yes fifteen years ago, I realized that there was a special need to start such an organization and my wife and I decided that we would take the first step. This concept with we began 15 years ago with just one or two children has expanded into a fully fledged organization with all facilities that caters to special needs of children. Through these years we have seen up to about 5500 children and at one time there are about 150 – 200 children registered for therapy from all over the country
Can you tell us a little bit on how therapy is conducted?
When I first see a child,I first diagnose the particular condition of the child. Thereafter we develop an individualized therapeuticProgram (ITP) for them. I believe mostly in one on one therapy and we have qualified psychologists and professional therapists who work for us who are mostly Psychology graduates. We have individual non distractive calmingcubicles for the sessions where we provide therapy sessions. There are times when we also have group therapy sessions according to different needs.
Could you elaborate a little bit more on the types of therapy?
Our care is based on an intervention program known as SPEAD, designed by us, which is highly individualized and unique. There ten therapy domains inthis program and we focus on occupational, speech, behavioral, cognitive and sensory therapy.We have developed specific manuals to adapt to our situation and we follow these accordingly
I am happy to mention that we have currently the first sound sensitive light system for sensory therapy in Sri Lanka. The colors of lighting change with sound and support sensory development.
We also have outdoor play and indoor play areas which are also part of therapy. Generally playgrounds are intended as places of fun and liberation. In these spaces designed and built for children, little ones have license to be themselves, to yell with abandon as they swing to new heights, to chase their friends, laugh, and let loose.But for some children such as those with autism spectrum disorder and sensory integration disorders, the noise and commotion of a playground, at best, can take some time to warm up to, and at worst, can cause distress and discomfort. So through our therapeutic play grounds we hope to integrate the children slowly into play areas and get used to having fun.
Therapy for these children has to be combined efforts between therapists and their parents and cares. As suchwe also have a program called PEP – Professional Empowering Program. This program works to empower parents and other cares such as teachers and helpers to become advocates for themselves and thechildren in the areas of educational and social service needs. Every parent just wants their child to make friends, succeed and be happy. But for parents of children with autism and other behavioral conditions these goals are more difficult to achieve, especially in social realms where their child may experience anxiety and struggle to make connections with others.
For this reason our PEP program is specially conducted to address these needs. It includes insight into the 10 therapy domains of SPEAD, which include theory and practical techniques. The theory is essential for parents to understand the therapy, so that it can be adjusted to suit specific needs, while the practical techniques will serve as a basis from which to carry out both therapy activities and other forms of interventions.
During our training we will teach core issues that need to be addressed in the home and out of home, which we call social based therapy. All activities are quite easy to understand and carry out.Our joy and how we measure ourselves finally is through the endorsements of our parents when they tell us that through therapy at our center and with the social based therapy at home they see vast improvements in their children.
Finally could you tell us something as to how much support the state provides for differently abled children and what more could be done?
As I said first this is not just the responsibility of the State even though they have a role to play. If we discuss the role of the State, we need and effective parliament act, like the IDEA act (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) in America that will ensure that all children with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living.
We also need the State to look into social welfare schemes, Families with differently abled children encounter unique issues day to day and these have to be addressed in a systematic manner. These would include matters such as it being easier for parents of these children to obtain a transfer closer to home, receive priority public parking and priority services at certain venues etc.
Most importantly we need to finally collectively change the perception of society as a whole that these children are also their children. When they finally grow up and become adults and become members of the larger society, societal norms should be such that they would be able to integrate without any discrimination and with correct services at their disposal. For that to happen community as a whole should support and help when they are young to receive therapy with love and care. They are society’s children and the whole society is a family and therefore the family should be able to take care of its children. - Usha Perera https://www.daddyslanka.org/
Telephone no’s 0716812524 (English) 0716812521 2 (Sinhala) Email – daddyslanka@gmail.com