Chennai: Children usually tend to be scared while bursting crackers. When it comes to special children, extra care has to be taken.
At Arvind Foundation, K K Nagar and Shakthi School for Special Children, Selaiyur, they decided to teach the children the joy of celebrating the festival of lights.
For the last three weeks, the children at Arvind Foundation were taught about the story behind celebrating the day, the different ways in which it is marked, the specialities such as new dresses, sweets, savouries and fireworks.
”To acclimatise these children to the fireworks fun and to rid them of their fears associated with various displays of sparks of fire and loud cracker sounds, they were introduced to different varieties of fireworks in a gradual manner. Starting from small flower pots, the chakra types on floor, they slowly get the feel of fireworks and start enjoying them and understand that it is a special way of celebrating DeepavaliĀ unlike other festivals,” says Arvind Foundation co-founder Sudha Athmaraj.
”During the week preceding Deepavali, the snack time becomes special. Snacks like vada, sweet urundais are made, thus bringing in a festive mood bit by bit. In this manner, when the Deepavali arrives with a lot of fireworks and sounds of crackers filling the air, these children (who might have otherwise withdrawn due to fear) get all set to be part of the fun and enjoy every bit of the celebration. In fact, just before the actual festival day, there is a mini celebration at Arvindniketan and the children get fully geared up to enjoy the fun on the DeepavaliĀ day.
As part of teaching good social interaction, the children are also taught to wish others a happy Deepavali. They learn and do this with great enthusiasm,” she says.
While many children enjoy celebrating Deepavali, it is not the same for autistic children. K Kavitha who runs Shakthi school for special children said the Supreme Court’s decision restricting the time of bursting crackers has come as a huge relief to the children.
”The special children are more active during the day time and allowing crackers to burst only during 6 to 7 am and 7 to 8 pm will ensure that these kids are exposed to minimum crackers,” she said.
She further said that while a few kids enjoy the display of the lights, a few are left to suffer due to the bursting of the crackers and the sound produced.
”The day which everyone look forward to celebrate can at times harm these children and the aftermath can be there for more than three days,” she said.
Kavitha said the bursting of crackers causes sensory processing issues in children with autism and cerebral palsy.
”Bursting of crackers will disturb them more and make them more nervous. Some kids cry non-stop making it difficult for their parents to console them. They do not enjoy the sudden change,” she added.
She further said that the problem does not start or end just with the crackers but there are other areas of concern too.
”Many parents want their children to wear nice and new clothes that day, which at times becomes difficult. Even eating sweets and other saviouries can also be a problem,” she added.
Kavitha however said that all these problems can be limited, if the kids are prepared before hand.
”Atleast a week before the festival, the children should be slowly exposed to the crackers one or two per day so that they will get accustomed to the sound. Similarly, put on the new dresses on them for a few minutes atleast a couple of days before the festival. This will make more comfortable with new dress,” she added.
She further said the kids can be shown images of the crackers and the story of why DeepavaliĀ Ā is celebrated which can gather their attention.
The children should not be pushed or pressurised to light crackers but encouraged in a gentle and loving way to do so, she added.
The parents should also be aware of the kind of sweets given to the children. It is better to avoid sugar-based sweets and, instead, give them sweets with jaggery, she adds.