What We Offer
Early Intervention – Age 0-3
An early diagnosis and intervention between the golden years from 0-6 years offers the best chance for minimizing the impact of disabling conditions. While physical challenges are evident right from birth, intellectual disabilities take time manifesting. Apart from the condition itself, the three big challenges are parental ignorance, an unwillingness to accept the fact and social stigma attached to seeking specialised services.
​
Experience shows that many parents delay the process of seeking therapeutic support or intervention even when delays are apparent, in the belief that time will help the child grow “normally, supported by anecdotal family instances. In other cases it is only at the school entry stage that conditions such as hyperactive behavior, poor social skills or learning difficulties are diagnosed. It is important that parents take the observations by schools seriously and instead of changing schools, seek intervention for the child at the earliest. The lack of acceptance and fear of social stigma are the third hurdle that we have seen that prevents parents from seeking therapeutic support.
In the early years intervention program the child is assessed by a team of occupational therapists, special educators, speech therapist and physiotherapists and a plan of action is put into place. The child receives a combination of therapy and special education for one to two hours everyday. Parents are educated on how to deal with the condition and behaviours, sometimes the extended family is also counselled to take care of the child in the manner that it needs to be.
Children who have been part of early intervention programs have shown remarkable progress and the process of integration with the mainstream has been much more faster
​
​
Preprimary programme (Ages 3-7)
Children in this age group of 3 to 7 are provided intense training and therapy with the objective of integration with mainstream schools wherever possible. Rainbow Bridge has built up a network of schools that support inclusion. Once the child attains classroom readiness, they are enrolled In affiliate schools. Rainbow Bridge believes that children need additional support in the transition process and provide the services of a shadow teacher who accompanies the child to the school and provides support wherever necessary in the area of social bonding or academic performance so that the child is not left fend for itself. The shadow support is slowly faded out till the child is fully integrated and is able to function independently in the class. This approach of providing shadow support is unique to Rainbow Bridge and has shown excellent results. So far we have mainstreamed over 15 children over the last six years.
Primary Group (age group of 8 -12)
Children in the age group of 8 -12 are assessed by the team at Rainbow bridge and segregated into two environments Primary 1 and 2. Individual education plans (IEP) are set in place based on the capacity of the child. While training in social and independence skills are common for both groups, the ability of the child to cope with academic demands decides their placement into Primary 1 or 2. Those in Primary 1 are provided functional literacy while those in Primary 2 move into the NIOS stream.
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
NIOS is a board of certification set up by the Ministry of HRD of the Union Government. They offer open streams of study and certification at grades 3,5,8 10 and 12. The syllabus is robust yet student centric and children can complete any stream at their own pace and comfort. Children at Rainbow Bridge who have the capacity are groomed to appear for the National Institute of open schooling (NIOS) held certification exams. 5 of our students have successfully completed their 10th and 12th grade exams and have joined mainstream universities and professional courses.
Prevocational Group (Age 13-18)
The children above 13 years are reassessed and those unable to take the academic route are placed in the pre vocational section. Along with functional skills, self-help, communication and literacy, they are also provided vocation related pre skills. they are assessed with regard to their interests and ability and a suitable vocation identified.
Vocational Training (Ages 18 and above)
Students over the age of 18 are provided vocational training in the area of their interest/ability. The proposed skill development areas are agriculture, dairying, Food Production, Bag Making- Nursery raising etc.
Remedial Support Programme
These programmes are designed for children who attend mainstream schools but need additional academic assistance due to learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyspraxia etc), attention deficit issues, hyperactivity etc. We provide individual coaching, occupational therapy and support for the same.
Rainbow Bridge offers phonetic skill building based on the Jolly Phonics method for fluent reading. We also work on grammar, creative writing and communication skills. We offer Phonetics workshops for parents to enhance their understanding of the method and accelerate their children’s pace. We also explore English skill building through mediums such as music, art, puppetry and theatre.
