‘E-learning routine comes to her rescue’
Life, as 16-year-old Anoushka Tandon knew it, came to a halt when one day her parents Sushil and Nisha explained why she could no longer go to school or meet her friends. Anoushka, who suffers from Down Syndrome, wasn’t yet prepared to make her home her world.
Looking back at those initial days of unrest, her mother Nisha says that it helped to address the issue to her child as an adult, even as an e-learning routine came to their rescue. The idea of looking forward to do something during the day is as important for children with special needs as it is for adults. While a day-long learning comprising behavioural therapy with a bunch of fun activities like music, dance, arts and even baking has helped, Nisha admits that being a homemaker, it has also meant that she be more hands-on a parent.
The ‘disruption’ has come with benefits, chief among them being waking up late. But the inability to fully understand what is really going on has also led to moments of anxiety for both Anoushka and her parents. To address this, the Tandons have divided responsibilities to be by their child’s side constantly. Being a homemaker and someone with whom Anoushka shares a “special connection”, Nisha has had to devote more time, while elder sister Geitanksha has her work cut out to arrange all devices for next day’s class and Sushil is responsible for some downtime in the form of boardgames such as carrom and ludo.
“I have had to dedicate a lot of time to Anoushka’s education. And if more parents were to do so, it would be less worrisome. Of course, it would not always be the case with working parents, but the child can only progress if he/she works with a set routine.”