Chennai: Amar Seva Sangam- Ayikudy (ASSA)’s Early Intervention project, launched in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi, in 2017, is said to have reduced the psychological, emotional, personal, physical, and financial burden in 75 per cent of parents of children with disabilities, found a peer-reviewed study, published in the October 2020 issue of Disability and Rehabilitation international journal.
Parent strain was reduced by 36 per cent on an average, which are levels of strain reduction never before seen in other research studies. The study also found 83 per cent of families showed greater empowerment in caring for their child with disabilities.
Another peer reviewed study showed that age adjusted school enrolment for children with disabilities in the same program improved from 70 to 85 per cent for those provided with early intervention.
These studies were conducted by researchers from the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, University of Toronto, Canada and Handi-Care International, Toronto, Canada – in association with ASSA.
Dinesh Krishna, director of ASSA’s Early Intervention Programme and professor at University of Toronto, co-author, said, “The home-based and family-centred care approach of ASSA had a positive impact on the lives of the children with disabilities, and their families.We found that these approaches helped mitigate caregiver burden, empower families and improve child integration”.
Sankara Raman Srinivasan, honorary secretary, ASSA, and principal investigator said, “Our study has shown that we can improve access and attendance to early intervention services, improve school enrollment and thus maximise the potential of children with disabilities and enable their inclusion in society”.