New Horizons Group

NEWSLETTER (QPM/ MNL-01, Vol. II Issue 9) | October, 2016

73,847EVERY CHILD CAN DO BETTER!!

New Horizons Audiology Centre (NHA) aims at improving hearing of adults and children affected by any degree of hearing impairment with the help of recent advances in technology and with skilled professionals, thus enabling them to lead a better quality of life with better speech and communication.

Dr. Waheeda Pagarkar is a renowned Audiovestibular Consultant at Hackney ARK and Royal National Throat, Nose & Ear Hospital, London. She has done her MBBS and MD in Pediatrics from Seth G. S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital and her MRCPCH (UK) and MSc (Audiology) from the University of London. Considering the paucity of care in the field of Audiovestibular Medicine for children and adults, for conditions like dizziness/vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss, in collaboration with New Horizons, she has set up a State-of-the-Art Audiology Centre with international standards.

Services at NHA:· Standard Audiometry · Play Audiometry · Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

· Speech Audiometry · Tympanometry · Otoacoustic emissions · Hearing Aid Trial and prescription of various digital hearing aids · Ear Mould Impression · Aural Rehab· BERA

Dr. Waheeda Pagarkar, Audiovestibular Pediatrician (London, UK) would be available for consultation at New Horizons Audiology Centre, Mumbai, India on 17th, 18th and 19th December 2016.

For Appointments please contact:

New Horizons Audiology Centre+91 7208079123, 022 60600650 Techniplex II, unit 10, 2nd Floor,Opposite Hotel Grand Sarovar,Off S.V. Rd, Veer Savarkar Bridge,Goregaon (West), Mumbai 400062

Developmental PediatricianDr. Samir Dalwai (MD, DNB, DCH,FCPS, DNB and LLB) founded NewHorizons Child DevelopmentCentre (NHCDC now NHD) in2003. NHD has developed 5centres and currently houses ateam of more than 60paramedical professionals. NHDprovides multi-disciplinaryservices to more than 300children daily with a ratio of onespecialist to one child in eachintervention session.

New Horizons Health & ResearchFoundation (NHHRF now NHF), isa registered non-profitorganization[Reg.No.U85100MH2012NPL23856; No.DIT(E)/80G/111/N/2014-15],which works in the areas ofhealth, impairment and earlychildhood development. NHFfollows a four-pronged approach:Research, Rehabilitation,Advocacy and Training.

Established in 2014, NewHorizons Institute ofEducation & Research (NHIERnow NHI) is the educationalwing of NHG. In May, 2015,TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIALSCIENCES (TISS), Mumbai andNHF entered a collaborationand offer diploma courses inSpecial Education andRehabilitation Psychology.

New Horizons Educationand Training Solutions(NHETS now NHS) provideshighly specialized solutionsto schools in Mumbai. Ourspecialists are deputed atthe school on a customizedbasis for conductingevaluation, intervention andcounseling for children withacademic, emotional andbehavioural concerns.

Dr. Waheeda Pagarkarstarted the New HorizonsAudiology (NHA) and HearingAid Centre for Adults andChildren in August 2014. In itsfirst year, NHA has seenaround 400 patients, out ofwhich 20 were adults and theremaining 380 were children.35 patients were diagnosedwith hearing loss of varyingtype and degree while 10 wereprescribed with hearing aids.

EAR ME OUT!

THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND - BY DR. SAMIR DALWAI

Dr. Samir Dalwai, Founder Director, New Horizons Group and President, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Mumbai, explains why it is so important for children to get off the phone, switch off the television, go outside to play and go to bed early. Gift your child a healthy life! This article first appeared in mymedicalmantra.com on 14th November, 2016.

Let me take this opportunity to wish all kids a super children’s day and may they be blessed with a healthy mind and body! Is there any significance of the day beyond the customary greetings and celebrations? If there is, then it needs to be conveyed to children. And as everything else, it falls to the parents and grandparents to do so.

If I have to wish my child on this day, what would I wish her? I would wish her an early morning. Not just because I’m impressed by age old proverbs, but because today I see the crazy way that every child begins her day. Most kids wake up at say, 7 am and they need to get into the school bus at 7.20 am!

I recently attended a conference in Sharjah where constipation was being discussed with great seriousness. I mentioned the fact that in Mumbai kids have to “finish” their daily chores in 15 minutes and there is simply no time to brush their teeth and go to the toilet and have a bath and eat breakfast. An Arab lady said parents wish there were buttons – you press one and… Swoosh… the kid evacuates; you press another and swoosh… the kid eats… and voila… You make the school bus in time!

What we fail to realise that just like falling asleep, waking up is a ritual. Arousal needs to proceed in its own order, enabling the child to transition out of a state of deep sleep to wakefulness to complete alertness. If this is crumpled to within 20 minutes, not only will the child end up with constipation and poor hygiene but she will still be half asleep for the first hour or two of school which often has the “important” subjects.

And it’s not rare to see such kids doing poorly at academics and being misdiagnosed as ADHD or Dyslexic! So, to start with, wake the child up at least an hour before she sets off for school. I encourage a few minutes of prayer - for the simple reason that this ritual allows the child to have a little time to get her act and thoughts in order and eventually reach school with her bowels cleared, body cleansed, well-nourished and most importantly – focused for studies.

I would wish my child come back home by lunch. That’s ideal, though I know that’s not possible very often due to many reasons. Whatever be it, once the child is home I would wish my child to have some good food and if possible have a small chat – I call it “debriefing”!

I wish the child would then after a few minutes sit down for her studies. Avoid television here as it will drag on and end up in a fight! Instead

let the child finish off with whatever studies or homework or project work is needed. And be done by 5 or 6 pm.

That’s also because many children today don’t have great attention spans and as the day wears on the quality of attention and concentration wears thin. A simple rule of thumb:if a kid has slept for 10 hours, the best concentration could be expected for the next 10 hours. Any effort to engage him in any activity thereafter, needing good concentration, is not very fruitful and again ends up in arguments.

I wish my child would have an opportunity to play outdoors every evening for 2 to 3 hours! This is the most important part of the day for the child since this is the time when the child is by herself and can do what she feels! Hence it’s

important to let the kid have non structured play – let them play whatever they want. This is for them to vent their hearts out, and be refreshed for the next day as well as to bond with friends and learn co-operation and how to resolve differences.

Many parents end up sending their kids to official “training academies” be it sport or dance and this ends up being another performance task and ends up tiring the child much more and often frustrating him that he has to live up to expectations and “perform” even here. Decrease performance anxiety!

I wish the child would be back home completely relaxed and sit down for an early dinner. We could chat over dinner – chat being whatever the child likes to say, and not what we would like to hear (about her academics)

and certainly not for us to talk about her performance or marks!

The best of nutritious food is a waste if not accompanied by the digestive juice of happiness and satisfaction. Monitor for yourself the number of times you are inclined to “opine” to your child- “this is not good”, “if you do that you will suffer”, “you need to do this”, etc. Your child will either learn to switch off (and you will keep wondering why she doesn’t listen to you ever) or worse this will destroy her ability to think for herself.

Rather, let the child speak and your role is to ask open questions or questions which will make her assess her actions. In this manner, though the child may not verbally express the “lesson” you wanted her to imbibe, rest assured that she has indeed internalised it - much better than you ordering it to happen.

I wish my child would find engagement in activities that connect her to others rather than to machines. Gadget addiction is a huge problem today. But we lay the foundation of this addiction when we switch on the TV or hand over the cell to the tiny tot to make her eat or to let us be - please don’t use gadgets as “electronic nannies”.

Besides the host of reasons why gadgets are bad for your kid which any Internet search can easily give you, please remember two main reasons. One, these gadgets are one way communication systems – your kid’s communication skills and social interaction with others will suffer. Reciting nursery rhymes verbatim is not really a great gain – teach these rhymes yourself to enhance her social skills. Two, habits formed at an early age become part of “normal” life and it will be impossible to restrict or limit these later.

Lastly, the best thing I could do as a parent for my child’s life long physical and mental health is to inculcate great sleep habits! Intelligence, memory, behaviour are all impacted by sleep habits.

Children below 12 need about 10 to 12 hours of continuous sleep, adolescents need at least 8 to 10 hours. This can be managed only if the kids are trained to sleep early. A couple of hours of good outdoor play will tire the child sufficiently. Once home, serve them dinner early. Encourage activities which will induce sleep and not those that will increase arousal instead. Television or mobile games or chatting will drive away sleep. So will arguments and fights. As your infant grows up, discourage day time napping as this is likely to delay onset of sleep at night. Also, the best way to inculcate this habit is to make the child wake up early as mentioned above and avoid afternoon sleep. She will surely begin to feel sleepy early on in the night.

There is no one fool-proof way to happy parenting! These are general principles - you may modify them as long as the idea behind each is followed more or less! Simple guidelines will go a long way in contributing to your child’s life!

Dr. SAMIR DALWAI

UPDATE FROM NEW HORIZONS INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (NHI): CERTIFICATE BATCH IV PASSES OUT

Certificate in Special Education Batch IV passed out with flying colours under the guidance of Ms. Sandhya Kulkarni (Chairman), Ms. Nita Mehta (Academic Head) and Ms. Trupti Mondkar (Special Educator). Congratulations to all!!

MS. ARYA HEGDE RECEIVING HER CERTIFICATE

MS. SHADIA ANTULAY RECEIVING HER CERTIFICATE

MS. ANJUM KHANRECEIVING HER CERTIFICATE

MS. UTTARA KAUSHIKRECEIVING HER CERTIFICATE

REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

MANY CONGRATULATIONS to New Horizons Rewards and Recognition winners for Quarter III 2016!!

Ms. Tressy Renjifor her commitment and maturity towards her duties.

STAR PERFORMER - Clinical

Ms. Meghashree Vartakfor her sincerity, consistency and dedication towards

her responsibilities and work.

STAR PERFORMER - Non-Clinical

Ms. Heta Rajafor the potential demonstrated and for exuding confidence and enthusiasm in delivering tasks

assigned to her.

RISING STAR

Ms. Paullomi Shah for her eagerness to learn; being a good team player

and demonstrating our core values.

RISING STAR

PARENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS – BY MS. MADHURI KARANTH

The Parent Engagement Program for parents of individual children is an integral part of the New Horizons Developmental Program (NHDP). During these visits, the need of getting parents to interact with each other was noticed. With the guidance of Dr. Samir Dalwai, Parent Enrichment Programs were started in October 2015. It is a platform for a group of parents to share their concerns, ideas and strategies for managing their children. It was initially started in Goregaon East centre followed by other centres.

In Parent Enrichment Programs, parents themselves are the main speakers. We act as the facilitators in conducting a discussion. The main benefit of this program is that parents get ideas from other parents who have had similar experiences. As we know, “Experience is the best teacher.” Parents share valuable ideas from their own experiences with each other. It is a platform where someone who has gone through the same dilemma or challenge can share their experiences with you. Parents find a connection with each other. On an average, a group of 8-10 parents attend these sessions.

The end result of every Parent Enrichment Program is that parents are satisfied and have learnt something new. They find hope and reassurance in the fact that many others have had similar challenges to the ones that they are facing. Parents have given the feedback that such programs must be conducted more often.

FLYING HIGH: UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN WITH HIGH IQ – BY MS. MADHUMITHA CHANDRASEKARAN AND MS. SUCHISMITA KADAM

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a score which is a measure of intellectual functioning obtained on a standardized test of intelligence. There are various systems/ theories that classify IQ scores into categories. An IQ score of 90-109 is considered to indicate Average Intellectual Functioning. As per Weschler’s range of IQ scores, the following are high IQ ranges: • 110-119 - Above Average Intellectual Functioning • 120-29 - Superior Intellectual Functioning • 130 and above- Very Superior Intellectual Functioning

Intelligence Tests such as Weschler’s Intelligence Scale for Children, Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children, Kamath-Binet Intelligence Test among others are widely used to measure the IQ of children.

Children obtaining high IQ scores, that is, an IQ between 110-130 and above, show a higher level of functioning in cognitive and social-emotional aspects as compared to their age peers.

Cognitive Characteristics:• They are rapid learners.• They show a higher level of analytical, critical thinking,

reasoning, drawing inferences. • They have an excellent memory.• They show a higher level of understanding for abstraction,

abstract reasoning. • They show an ability to read early and quickly, with better

comprehension and have an extensive vocabulary.• They are highly creative and imaginative. • They exhibit longer attention span and good concentration. • They are highly curious and inquisitive and show a drive for

learning new things.

Social-emotional Characteristics: • They are highly sensitive. • They have a strong sense of right and wrong.• They are able to pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and

draw inference in social situations. • They are affectionate, caring and loving.

Despite showing a higher capacity for cognitive and social-emotional functioning, they may face difficulties and challenges in these areas. There is often a misconception among parents, educational institutions and society as whole that: How can a child with “High IQ” have any difficulties? Even if they have difficulties, aren’t they capable of dealing with it? Can their difficulty be so severe to need intervention of any kind? However, the reality is that, just like any other child, even children (though not all) having high IQ may face several challenges. Some of the myths and challenges associated with children with high IQ are:• Academics: Having a high IQ does not equate to getting high

grades. Not all children with a high IQ are high achievers. Rather, some of them under achieve in school due to various factors like inadequate stimulation as they have already learnt what the class of average kids are still learning, resulting in boredom and poor motivation to perform in school. They can have hidden learning disabilities that go undetected since they can easily compensate for them in the early years. However, as they reach higher classes, it becomes difficult for them to excel. Other factors like perfectionism and fear of failure may interfere with their academic performance.

• Social-emotional adjustment: Several research studies until the late 1900s have debated about vulnerability to mental health concerns among children with high IQ. But more recent studies have shown that children with high IQ are socially and emotionally well-adjusted just like the comparison group of children with average IQ. However, some studies have contrast findings as well.

Children with high IQ can face problems in peer relationships since they hold different expectations about friendship and may have a higher understanding of reciprocity in relationships, as compared to peers of their age. Even though externally they seem more socially mature, internally they experience more loneliness, isolation and social difficulties.

Social asynchrony is seen among children with high IQ. There is general asynchronous development, that is, they may not be “in sync” or “fit in” with their mental age peers in terms of cognitive,

social and emotional development. This may cause difficulty in forming friendships with same age peers resulting in a feeling of rejection and being left out. Hence, they may show preference or need for interacting with older children and adults. They may face frustration due to a gap between their chronological age development versus mental age development. They may show poor confidence and lower self esteem as a result of these conflicts.

Even though children with high IQ may have the resources to cope with such adjustment difficulties, it does not necessarily mean that they may utilize these resources in coming up with adaptive coping mechanisms. Some studies have shown that children with high IQ have inappropriate social skills which result in difficulties in social interaction. • Behavioural Challenges: Some of these children may have

high levels of energy, may seem impulsive due to behaviours like interrupting when others talk, speaking out of turn, disturbing others in class, talking during lectures, experience distractions and be inattentive in normal classrooms since they may be bored. However, these behaviors may be misdiagnosed as AD/HD or as being naughty/ misbehaving in class. Some of these children may be regarded as being defiant or stubborn as they express curiosity to learn in depth and may question authority figures (teachers, parents) and bombard them with ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions on even the smallest of topics until they get a satisfactory answer.

Some of the other challenges faced by them are:• extra pressure from parents and teachers to be continually

successful• not having normal play and recreation time as may be

expected to spend time in doing something more constructive

• increased fear of failure and a sense of failure when performance is not "perfect"

Intervention:Considering these difficulties, when a child having a high IQ is recommended for intervention, there are several aspects of the child and his family that must be addressed. Intervention should focus not only on helping the child, but also helping his family to understand his strengths and challenges. It is helpful to involve family members in modifying circumstances at home in order to make it more conducive for their benefit.

Strategies at home and school that can help these children include:• Provide a variety of opportunities to learn and try new

things, and activities that are challenging for them. • Encourage participation in a broad range of educational

and recreational activities of their interest. • Help the child learn and use adaptive coping strategies like

expressing emotions verbally, learning social skills and being assertive to deal with socially-emotionally demanding situations rather than using immature mechanisms like denial, internalizing problems and blaming oneself or others for their misbehavior.

• Enable them to face failure and help them to understand that always being perfect is not necessary and not possible.

• Help them to accept criticism in a more positive and constructive manner.

• Make parents aware that though they may be mentally beyond their age peers, it is not right to expect "adult like" behavior or expect them to handle adult situations. They need to behave their age in terms of having fun and needing support and love from parents and teachers.

• Classroom strategies like giving them leadership roles and additional responsibility can help in keeping them engaged in classroom activities. Using a variety of teaching methods and giving them opportunities for alternate tasks like projects can be helpful in enhancing their learning and channelizing their strengths in constructive ways.

References:• Lovecky, D. V. Social/Emotional Development: Peer Relations,

Counseling and Guidance Newsletter, National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), Vol 5, 1995

• davidsongifted.org• www.ri.net

WRITEFULLY YOURS: WHY IMPROVING YOUR CHILD’S HANDWRITING MAY NEED TO START IN THE PLAYGROUND – BY MS. GEETHA PREMKUMAR

The teacher is primarily responsible for handwriting instruction. The occupational therapist’s role is to determine underlying postural, motor, sensory integrative, or perceptual deficits that might interfere with the development of legible handwriting. When the teacher and the therapist work together, combining medical and educational knowledge, the results are often very positive in achieving legible handwriting.

The child’s stages of development and “readiness” for handwriting need to be taken into consideration. All research tends to agree that children should not be taught handwriting before they are ready as this can result in creating writing difficulties that are hard to reverse. Letter formation requires the integration of visual, motor, sensory and perceptual systems and it has been concluded that most kindergarten children who are typically developing should be ready for formal handwriting instruction in the latter half of the kindergarten school year (5-6 year olds).

Each of the following underlying skills could affect handwriting:Gross Motor Skills required for the postural control that is necessary for writing.

Fine Motor Skills which includes in-hand manipulation, functional pencil grip, muscle tone and hand, arm and shoulder strength.

Visual Perception which includes discrimination between numbers, letters and words that are similar; spacing between letters; placing letters on the writing line and using margins correctly and identifying which letters have been formed completely.

Visual Motor Integration which is the ability of the eyes and hands to work together in smooth, efficient patterns. Decreased eye-hand coordination abilities have been shown to be predictive of decreased quality of handwriting. Controlled eye movements precede controlled hand movements.

Cognitive Skills which include memory and language comprehension, learning spellings, problem solving and reasoning. It must be noted that Sensory Processing difficulties may interfere with posture, attention, tactile, visual or proprioception have an effect on handwriting.

Gross Motor Activities that help improve handwriting: Gross Motor Activities that will improve postural control and muscle strength in the proximal muscles are beneficial when it comes to developing handwriting skills. Classroom activities: cleaning black boards, table-tops, pushing and moving classroom furniture, pushing heavy external doors open. Hanging activities: monkey bars, chin-ups, pull-ups or swinging from tree-branches to increase strength in the shoulder girdle muscles. Climbing activities: climbing ladders and ropes in the playground. Pushing and pulling activities: pulling a heavy object or pushing a child on a swing. These pushing and pulling motions help the shoulder learn to coactivate to produce the right amount of force and stability. Weight bearing activities through the arms: animal-walks, wheelbarrow walking, crawling, and push ups all help to increase muscle strength and improve coactivation of the shoulder and postural muscles. Yoga poses provide muscle strengthening and postural control. Large art projects: put up some paper on a wall. Children can reach up left and right while painting.

Fine Motor Activities that help improve handwriting: Rolling balls of clay between the tip of the thumb and index and middle fingers. Picking small objects up with tweezers. Paper crumpling: crumpling paper up into small, tight balls first using both hands and then only one hand. Money-box activity: using a regular money box or a recycled container and encouraging the child to hold 2 or 3 coins in the hand and push them through one at a time without dropping the others. Cutting paper. Tearing paper. Making a collage with paper that is cut or torn. Tripod Colouring: Using the tripod fingers to hold a crayon down flat and rub colour all over a large area. Tracing Patterns. Copying shapes. The suggested sequence of copying lines/ shapes is as follows: I – O + \ / X ∆

Motor Planning Activities that help improve handwriting: Sky Writing: air-writing the letters using the entire arm, describing each step as you go. Obstacle courses: handwriting requires the ability to formulate a motor plan to complete multiple steps just like completing an obstacle course. For example, crawl to a scooter board, lay on your tummy and pull yourself along a line and wheelbarrow-walk to the finish line. Body Letter Formation: asking children to form their bodies into letters to improve the imprint on the brain of how the letter is formed. Coordination activities: jumping jacks, jumping rope, hand-clapping games, etc all require extensive motor planning and coordination skills.

Eye Hand Coordination activities that help improve handwriting include any type of ball skills: throwing, catching and shooting balls in order to practice guiding the hands to go in the proper direction and location.

Seating:• the feet should have a stable base

of support• hips, knees and ankles should be

bent at 90 degrees• desk should be 1”-2” higher than

bent elbows• elbows need to rest comfortably

on the table• work should be placed at the body

midline on the table• the non-dominant hand should

rest on the table stabilizing the paper

Grasp:The optimal grasp is the mature dynamic tripod grasp with the pencil resting on the side of the middle finger and the tips of the thumb and first finger holding the pencil in place. If the thumb and index finger form a circular web space, this allows for skilful manipulation of the pencil. The static tripod grasp is similar to the dynamic tripod grasp in structure, however when writing, a student with the static tripod grasp will demonstrate movement of the entire arm instead of individualized finger movements. Writing Instrument and Paper:Try a variety of writing implements such as a regular pencil, mechanical pencil, markers (different sizes or widths) or pens (different tips on the pens with different types of ink flow). Many commercial pencil grips are available and can help to position the fingers in the appropriate position as well as to alleviate pain or stress. A wide variety of lined papers are available as well. Try different widths of paper, lined or unlined, dotted line in the middle, raised lines and red and blue lines.

References:• childsupport.in• ot-mom-learning-activities.com• Occupational Therapy by Willard and

Spackman

CLIMBING AND HANGING ACTIVITIES

TRIPOD COLOURING

MONEY BOX ACTIVITY

OBSTACLE COURSE

MATURE TRIPOD GRASP

PUSHING AND PULLING ACTIVITIES PAPER CRUMPLING PAPER TEARING COLLAGE MAKING

A WORD FOR WORKSHOPS – BY MS. PRITHA SAHA

A workshop is more than a chance to learn a new skill. It’s a way of connecting to another human being’s internal world - and what is more interesting than that? Unlike lectures, where a speaker will address the audience, seminars and workshops are led by someone acting as a mediator. This allows for opening up the floor for discussions and hearing about others’ ideas on a topic in a setting that encourages conversation. Participants can share their insights and thoughts on how to resolve the problem, which can offer a fresh perspective when

dealing with the problem. As you listen to other people’s ideas, you may find inspiration that can help you in the workplace. You may come up with a new way to handle things or new ideas that you never considered before. Networking and listening to others share their ideas may be the ticket to get your wheels spinning.

In 2016, New Horizons Education and Training Solutions (NHS) has conducted workshops for teachers, students and parents on topics ranging from Understanding Child

Development and Identification and Management of Special Needs in the Classroom to Providing Support to Children with Special Needs and Teaching Strategies.

Workshops are a great chance to do all of the following:

12. Learn research-based strategic learning and teaching practices.

11. Validate your own philosophy of teaching through interaction with others.

10. Connect with principles that can improve your life as well as your

students’ performance.09. Collaborate with colleagues on

best practices.08. Practice practical classroom

strategies you can use in your classroom tomorrow.

07. Understand why many students act as they do when faced with difficult situations.

06. Understand how everyone’s taking ownership of his/her own behaviors simplifies teaching any content area.

05. Gain access to what colleagues from across the nation are doing to ensure student success.

04. Explore classroom issues that impede student success and learn how to deal with them.

03. Learn how to incorporate learning strategies into content coursework.

02. Learn about your own strengths and opportunities for improvement as a teacher.

01. Have a great time!

On 1st October 2016, New Horizons Education and Training Solutions (NHS) conducted a workshop in Marble Arch School on Understanding Childhood.

READY TO DO BETTER! – BY MS. MANSI WALIMBE

When you work in an organization like New Horizons there is never a dearth of learning. This is my first experience as a professional. The transition from being a student to a professional is always challenging, however it was made easier in New Horizons Child Development Centre (NHD). When you are a new-comer the thing that matters the most is the organizational environment. It determines your attitude toward work. I can truly say that every aspect of working gives me satisfaction. As a psychologist I get to use my knowledge to its full potential. I get to reach many children, cater to their needs and fulfil them as much as is in my capacity. As a student you do not get the opportunity to keep a follow-up with your cases, here I can experience the change in the children’s lives, that is brought about with combined efforts.

It is the multidisciplinary approach of New Horizons Child Development Centre that makes it a unique experience. As a psychologist you tend to focus only on the psychological perspective. However New Horizons teaches you to think from other angles. It helps you help the child in his all round

development, and you grow as a professional. You start understanding that for a child to develop, there first needs to be a change in his environment. It broadens your outlook, you start accepting different perspectives. It not only helps you grow as a professional but also as a human being, making you humble and considerate of others.

The most commendable thing is the work environment. In order to grow you require a congenial environment, which is amply provided at New Horizons, starting with Dr. Samir Dalwai who, despite being a highly qualified doctor, values all our opinions and points of view.

All the Centre Heads and Deputy Centre Heads are equal parts strict and fun.

Thus to quote the famous author J.K. Rowling ‘you will always have to choose between what is easy and what is right’, to which I would like to add that you will know you have made the right choice when you come to New Horizons!

NHD - Dadar (East)

1st Floor, Jeevak Nursing Home, Sai Kunj, MMSG Marg, Dadar (East), Mumbai - 400 014.

Tel: 022 65287397 / 022 24144596 / 7506171230

NHD - Bhandup (West)

Pawar Public School, Opp. DreamsMall, Off LBS Marg, Bhandup (West),Mumbai - 400 078.

Tel: 022 21663024 / 9769669332

NHD and NHAGoregaon (West)

2nd Floor,Techniplex II, Techniplex Complex,Veer Savarkar Flyover, Goregaon (West),Mumbai - 400 062.

Tel: 022 60600650 / 7506171240

NHD - Goregaon (East)

Ground Floor, Saira Mansion,Pahadi School Road 2, Goregaon (East),Mumbai - 400 063.

Tel: 022 65711586

NHD - Santa Cruz (West)

Shop No. 47, 1st Floor, Hi-Life Mall, Opp. Santa Cruz Station, Santa Cruz (West), Mumbai - 400 054.

Tel: 022 26465649 / 9819224415

www.enablemychild.orginfo@enablemychild.orgwww.facebook.com/newhorizonscdc

New Horizons Group - www.enablemychild.org

DIWALI 2016 AT NEW HORIZONS