Learning to communicate

Five-year-old Saifi is communicating with his family — for the first time. And his family is so happy to see him learning and making significant progress!

Over the past few years, Saifi’s family knew that he wasn’t starting to talk like other children his age and his development did not seem to be progressing. His parents did not know what to do or how to best support him. They only knew that they wanted their son to learn and grow to have the same opportunities as other children. When they learned about the support available through Perkins India’s Project IDI (Identification and Intervention Program), they knew they had found the answer they had been looking for.

The Perkins India Identification and Intervention (IDI) Team based in Mathura met Saifi during a door to door screening in his village.  They conducted an initial assessment and listened to his parent’s concerns.

Saifi was referred to the Shroff Eye Hospital, Vrindavan, where he underwent both clinical and functional assessments and it was recommended that he enroll in the Early Intervention program to address his developmental needs.

The Early Intervention team at the hospital started seeing Saifi for individual therapy sessions targeted at increasing his vision, motor and learning skills. At the same time, the Project IDI team worked with Saifi’s parents to secure a disability certificate for him that provides many benefits to Saifi and his family, including getting a wheelchair and an education kit to support his learning at home. Thankful for these opportunities, Saifi’s family brings him regularly and actively participates in sessions.

With the assistance and support by the program, Saifi has newfound confidence to participate in everyday activities and is on a path to learning new things everyday. He is learning to communicate using simple gestures and will continue to grow his language skills with the support of his family and teachers. He is also learning new self-care skills and new foundational concepts such as differentiating between  objects and sorting skills.

Saifi’s new skills and enthusiasm for learning put him on a path to a bright future. The IDI team will continue to prepare Saifi to start school and will support his transition to the classroom. It is apparent that Saifi’s success extends beyond his family. Watching his progress has made an impact on his entire community that is now aware of the possibilities for children with disabilities.