In our petition on 16th MAY 2015 we wrote to THE HONORABLE COLLECTOR : Mr.M.G Rajamanickam, IAS ,(Ernakulam District) " We look forward to your dynamic support & timely action"

SIR, "We are indeed overwhelmed by the DYNAMISM AND SUPER PROMPT ACTION within hardly 2 working days!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS A MOVEMENT with your likes and shares and comments #KOCHI_TogetherWeCan!! :)))))))))))))))))))

THE TIMES OF INDIA , Kochi , Wednesday , MAY 20, 2015

SUDHA.NUMBUDIRI@timesgroup.com WRITES:

Kochi: District Collector M.G Rajamanickam on Tuesday has decided to take action against illegal therapy centres for special for special children sufferings from autism and cerebral palsy under section 133 of CrPC.

Many such centres are being run in the city without necessary registration and documents from certified agencies for treating children with special needs.

The decision follows a complaint given by "Together We Can (TWC), a forum of parents of autistic children, pointing to the lack of a regulatory body to monitor the functioning of these centres. At a meeting of district officials of health, education and social justice departments , chaired by the collector on Tuesday, the officials said that these private institutions do not come under their purview.

"Since these 'special' children cannot express their problems , we would like to draft a list of common guidelines for such centers. We also want to ensure that these centres are properly registered with the authorized agency," the collector told TOI after the meeting.

He promised to conduct a survey of these centres in the city. "We will conduct a seminar in which all therapy centres, government officials, experts and parents will be invited. We will sort out the issues after listening to all parties and draft a common set of guidelines in the best interests of children, "he said, the TWC along with the child welfare committee (CWC) chariperson, Padmaja Nair, had given a petition to the collector , complaining about negligence and apathy of private centres that provide speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, special education services, psychological counselling and other services , imperative for the progress of children with neurological disabilities.

As of now , there is no regulatory body that checks the functioning of such centers whose services are crucial for the development of children with disabilities. "However , we found during interactions with parents and visits to therapy centres that extreme cases of negligence were rampant , mainly because these centres were not accountable to anyone. Unfortunately , parents are taken into confidence by fake promises of cure, " the petition said.

During therapy sessions , parents are not allowed inside and children , who cannot communicate are under the mercy of therapists . There is no way to monitor if an abuse happens inside closed doors. Ignorance and lack of awareness of parents combined with the inability of the children to communicate make the situation worse. Most of them are not registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India as required.

"In addition , a significant number of parents have not been given an IEP( Individualized Education Program) and are not trained on "how" to handle their child at home. Most parents said that they were not given a review of this progress made by their wards. Children with disabilities are the most vulnerable group and easy prey for abuse of any kind." The petition said..