I visited Raphael centre also known as the Raphael Ryder Cheshire for my upcoming studies on developmental psychology which focuses predominantly on the development and regression from infancy to adulthood . The most prominent disorders included in developmental psychology are intellectual disorders, mainly cognitive development manifesting as physical impairment also not quite often.
Initially, I was quite intimidated and overwhelmed with the ambience of their but then I couldn’t even remember how I got acclimatised to it and became part of the family . I was assigned a pre vocational class as part of my research . That class included 7 students aged between 13 to 19 years old , the students suffered from ailments like Downs syndrome, autism spectrum disorder,cerebral palsy , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and hearing loss . Along with the 7 students there was a teacher under surveillance who helped the children and mentored them , the teacher was proficient in teaching students with intellectual disabilities as they’re accomplished with a diploma in special education. And indeed the methodology of teaching those kids was special in character as well as context .
My beginning was quite mesmerising as the day I joined it was December 3rd, it was the international day of people with intellectual disability and it was a grand performance day , it felt so wholesome watch such students with disabilities to perform impeccably. I was astonished when I saw the performances but it’s a huge motivational force for everyone who think they are incompetent or unworthy cause if disabled students could do so well then it’s a great success in itself they’ve already attained a lot in my opinion. The event involved various activities and games like in a fete , and students from other renowned schools were invited to participate, the girls of the Raphael school cooked meals , they prepared sandwiches and savory snacks . There was even a candle making vocational skill involved that all cherished their creativity and hard work . The students of other schools were also very much enthused by their skills and hardwork and all of them got gifts as it was Christmas month also and Raphael centre historically is a Christian based organisation but now it fully relies upon donations and supports form various organisations.
The next day was quite a hustle when the actual work started and it was quite fun but a little strenuous as the working hours were pretty long for my adaptability. The students had classes on functional knowledge and learning in which they were taught about the weekdays , month of the year , the weather (rainy , cloudy, sunny etc) and then there used to be domestic classes that thought students how to make their beds fold the beddings and to organise their space , this activity is a prerequisite for every individual as it would help them in being organised and disciplined and then an activity of fine motor skills that would include bead work and other activities including puzzles and blocks that give them vision towards colors and shapes . There school curriculum not only included sitting inside the classroom Like the traditional teaching methodology but also included sports and dance activities.
I’m pursuing my education in psychology and yoga so I was really fortunate to teach them yoga and also implement breath regulation methodologies like pranayama on them . I was assigned a 15 day task where I had to teach them yoga (predominantly hatha yoga ) that included sukshma vyayama meaning micro exercises that helped them lose their joints and expels any sort of energy blockages . For such people with intellectual disabilities breath regulation becomes extremely crucial as breath is synonymous to Prana the vital force in an individual which could help them in calming down and focusing on their own self , as majority of them were hyperactive but making all the students still and in a consistent posture was quite challenging .
Morning yoga session
After all the students were settled I incorporated certain yoga asanas like baalasana(child pose) as it relaxes their mind , boosts circulation and digestion, surya namaskara (Ashtanga yoga ) because it would channelise their hyperactivity in a positive direction and make them feel more relaxed and purposeful this yoga practice also included meditation and prayers accompanied in the end with a “shanti path” .
Overall my experience teaching the students and playing with them and becoming a part of them was highly substantial and worth , it wasn’t even a moment when I finally realised that they’re no less than my family .
