Detailed Guide

Subodha learning community is a unit of Farmhill Education Trust.

At Subodha, we offer family training programmes designed to create working relationships between parents and children, promoting emotional understanding and communication.

Subodha offers homeschooling programmes with curriculum support and classroom setups, catering for children aged 7 to 14 with a focus on individualised interventions and goal setting. As part of this program we offer academic classes, including English and math, alongside cooking classes and leisure activities, all tailored to the children’s needs and interests. We also offer support for NIOS curriculum up to grade 10.

In addition, we offer after school programs to support neurodiverse learners who go to school but need additional support.

We emphasise community support, enabling parents to work together and share childcare responsibilities. Subodha integrates celebrations and outdoor excursions to foster a sense of belonging and promote social and emotional development, while supporting families holistically.

Click on the sections below to read more.

Subodha offers several programmes designed to support neurodiverse individuals and their families. These include:

  • Family Training Programme (FTP): This is a three month programme focused on building a strong working relationship between the child and their parents through mutual listening and understanding. It aims to empower parents with the skills to support their child across various areas and fosters a supportive community where parents can work together and support each other.
  • Homeschooling Programme: After completing the FTP, parents can opt to continue with a homeschooling setup, either at Subodha or independently with curriculum support. This programme helps build a supportive community where parents can share experiences and support one another. There are currently three homeschooling classrooms.
  • After-School Programme: This programme provides academic support, social skills development, and emotional regulation techniques to children who attend school but need additional support. It involves breaking down learning materials, using visual aids, and incorporating interactive games.

The Family Training Programme (FTP) at Subodha is a cornerstone initiative designed to build a strong, functional relationship between children and their parents. It focuses on creating an environment of mutual understanding and cooperation, where both parents and children learn to listen to and understand each other.

Key aspects and objectives of the FTP include:

  • Building Working Relationships: The programme emphasises creating a space where parents and children listen to each other, which fosters understanding and emotional regulation. This involves moving beyond simple instruction-following to a deeper connection.
  • Empowering Parents: The FTP equips parents with the skills and knowledge to independently support their children’s development across various areas. Parents learn to become independent of therapists, gaining the confidence to implement home schooling programmes effectively.
  • Communication: Communication is a foundational element, teaching parents how to facilitate their child’s ability to express wants, needs, and feelings.
  • Goal-Oriented Learning: Parents learn to plan and execute goals tailored to their child’s specific needs.
  • Group Cohesion: A key highlight is preparing parents to work with other children, enabling them to support each other and create opportunities for breaks and shared responsibilities. This cohesiveness helps in building a community where parents are equipped and happy to work with other parents and children.
  • Community Building: The FTP lays the foundation for relationships and friendships among parents, creating a supportive network where they can share experiences and support one another.
  • Emotional Regulation: A key focus of the FTP is helping children understand and regulate their emotions, as well as providing parents with the emotional support they need.
  • Duration and Options: The programme typically involves the parent and child attending the centre together for about three months. Following this, parents can choose to continue in a classroom setting at Subodha, opt for a homeschool setup, or receive curriculum support to homeschool independently.

The FTP is designed to create a supportive and inclusive community where neurodiverse individuals and their families can thrive.

Homeschooling support at Subodha is a flexible programme that builds on the foundation of the Family Training Programme (FTP). After completing the FTP, parents have several options for continuing their child’s education.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the homeschooling support provided:

  • Continuation after FTP: After the three-month FTP, parents can choose to continue with a homeschooling setup.
  • Location: This can either be at Subodha in one of our three homeschooling classrooms or independently at home.
  • Home Programme:
    • Curriculum Support: Parents can take a curriculum from Subodha, with support for literacy, numeracy, EVS (Environmental Studies), and emotional regulation goals. The curriculum is responsive and eve evolving, along with the needs of the child.
    • Review and Collaboration: Parents can review goals with the Subodha team weekly or monthly, depending on their needs.
  • Classroom Structure:
    • Maximum of five children in a classroom.
    • Children are not expected to behave like in a traditional school classroom, but should be able to return to tasks when requested.
    • If children need extra support, parents or shadows (classroom support staff) can assist.
  • Shadow Support: If a parent cannot attend, a shadow can be provided to help the child with regulation, breaks, and interventions.
  • Cross-Training: Parents, therapists, and shadows exchange children to provide varied support.
  • Community Support: Parents pitch in for each other, sharing skills and providing respite. For example, one parent helped a child with running away behaviour by teaching him safety rules.
  • Therapist Involvement: Therapists create learning materials and provide care during parent meetings.
  • Interactive Learning: Discussions are interactive, with therapists using open-ended questions and adapting to yes/no questions with visuals for clarity.
  • Curriculum Mapping: The homeschooling programme is mapped against NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) goals, tracking elementary-level progress in maths and EVS.
  • Focus on Social Skills: The programme recognises the importance of social interaction for cognitive development.
  • NIOS Options: Subodha supports students up to grade 10 and can accommodate non-math and science subjects like baking, painting, and home science, depending on the child’s aptitude. The source notes that students can directly apply for grade 10.

The homeschooling programme at Subodha incorporates a variety of classes and activities to support the holistic development of the children. These include:

  • English Classes: These classes focus on improving children’s vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills, as well as reading, writing, and typing skills. The curriculum uses books and activities tailored to the children’s skill levels and communication modes.

  • Math Classes: The math curriculum includes topics under numerical literacy that are relevant to the daily lives of the children, such as understanding money and time. The curriculum is customised based on the children’s interests.

  • Cooking Classes: These classes aim to teach the children to eventually become self-sufficient. They learn a variety of things such as going to the market and buying groceries, peeling and chopping the vegetables, washing vegetables, washing the utensils, and maintaining kitchen rules and hygiene.

  • EVS/Science: The curriculum offers support for EVS (Environmental Studies) goals. For older students, support is provided for NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling).

  • Leisure Activities: Subodha offers daily leisure classes to promote pre-vocational skills and community interaction. These activities also provide opportunities for **experimentation and creativity.

English classes at Subodha focus on enhancing children’s vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills, as well as their reading, writing, and typing abilities. The curriculum is designed to be engaging and relevant, with careful consideration given to each child’s skill level and communication style.

Here are some key aspects of the English classes:

  • Curriculum Planning: The teacher selects books covering relevant topics and explores these topics in depth through various activities and worksheets.
  • Adaptability: Activities are adapted based on the children’s communication modes. For children who are non-verbal, questions can be converted to yes/no formats or presented visually.
  • Language Skills: The classes work on grammar and language building skills to improve communication.
  • Relevant Topics: Topics covered include personal information, transport, road safety, and seasons. Lessons are also planned based on the immediate needs of the children, such as addressing inappropriate behaviours and teaching about boundaries, private and public spaces, and sexual education. These lessons help introduce rules and appropriate behaviours in different environments.
  • Real-Life Application: Lessons are planned to have real-life applications such as taste, utensils lessons.
  • Emotional Nuance: Vocabulary development extends to concepts like laziness and boredom.

Math classes at Subodha focus on numerical literacy and its relevance to the children’s daily lives. The curriculum is designed to be engaging and adaptable, catering to the individual needs and interests of the children.

Here are some key aspects of the maths classes:

  • Curriculum Topics: Topics include knowing about the calendar, numbers, digits, quantities, and money skills (such as identifying currency and understanding transactions). Algebra and geometry are considered to have less significance in the lives of the children compared to topics like understanding time.
  • Real-Life Relevance: The focus is on making maths meaningful by relating it to the children’s experiences. For example, understanding how long they have to wait for a snack or a visit to their grandma’s place.
  • Customisation: Learning materials are customised according to the children’s preferences and areas of interest.
  • Engagement: Fun activities are used to connect academic learning to real life. For example, role-playing games, such as “maintaining shop”, are used to teach maths skills.
  • Role-Playing Games: In the “maintaining shop” activity, children act as customers and teachers act as shopkeepers. The children choose items from a menu, calculate the amount, pay, and collect change, which reinforces addition, multiplication, and money skills. This activity also teaches important social skills and protocols.
  • Individualised Approach: The curriculum is individualised to suit the child, for instance, using a child’s love for food to teach multiplication.

Cooking classes at Subodha are designed to teach children to eventually become self-sufficient. The classes involve a variety of activities that build practical skills and reinforce important rules and hygiene practices.

Here’s a detailed look at what the cooking classes entail:

  • Skills Taught:
    • Going to the market and buying groceries
    • Peeling and chopping vegetables
    • Washing vegetables and utensils
    • Using a variety of utensils and devices
  • Hygiene and Rules:
    • Maintaining kitchen rules and hygiene
    • Addressing behaviours like putting things in their mouth by reminding and redirecting the children to follow rules and maintain hygiene
    • Washing hands as needed, sometimes up to 5-10 times in one class
  • Customised Lessons:
    • Recipes are planned based on the children’s skill levels
  • Real-Life Application:
    • Often, children make their own snacks and eat - and that’s a very motivating real life application!

The after-school programme at Subodha is designed to support children who find it difficult to keep up with the regular school curriculum. It focuses on academic support, social skills development, and emotional regulation and typically lasts for about 1 to 1.5 hours in the evening.

  • Academic Support:
    • Targets specific areas where the child needs extra help, whether it’s an entire subject or a particular part of it.
    • Breaks down learning material into smaller, more manageable pieces to improve comprehension. For example, math word problems are simplified using visuals and code words.
    • Uses activities to contextualise learning, such as hands-on experiments to visualise abstract concepts.
  • Social Skills Development:
    • Employs group games to teach social skills like following rules, interacting appropriately, turn-taking, and accepting both winning and losing.
    • Addresses challenges in social interaction through consistent strategies and acknowledging feelings.
  • Emotional Regulation:
    • Helps children acknowledge their feelings and learn effective coping strategies.
    • Teaches techniques like breathing exercises to manage anxiety, particularly in exam situations.
  • Additional Features:
    • Includes a daily leisure time that encourages social interaction and develops pre-vocational skills.
    • This class involves children and parents from different groups working together on activities that promote sharing, turn-taking, and creativity.
    • The leisure class also serves as a time for experimentation and preparation for celebrations at Subodha.

The after-school programme is like a tuition class but more interactive and fun.

The after school programme at Subodha is very successful, with positive outcomes in academic support, social skills development and emotional regulation, based on our experience so far.

  • Academic Support: The programme provides academic support to children struggling with the regular school curriculum by breaking down learning material into smaller, more manageable parts.
    • Success Story - Maths: the programme helped children understand maths word problems by using visuals and real-life examples.
  • Social Skills Development: The programme actively works on developing social skills through group games, teaching children how to follow rules, interact appropriately, take turns, and understand that winning and losing are both parts of a game.
    • Success Story - Dealing with Losing: One student who initially had a very difficult time dealing with losing a game showed significant improvement after 6-8 months of consistent support, learning to cope with loss and even console others.
  • Emotional Regulation: The programme helps children acknowledge their feelings and learn effective coping strategies.
    • Success Story - Anxiety: Breathing techniques are taught to children who experience anxiety during exams, helping them calm down and focus.

At Subodha, we are engaged in providing holistic support to neurodiverse families. Considering the unique and varied needs of this community, the curriculum and pedagogy also need to be suitable.

How does the curriculum cater to children’s interests?

Subodha’s curriculum caters to children’s interests through customisation of learning materials according to their preferences and areas of interest. Here are some examples of how the curriculum is adapted:

  • In math, when a child showed no interest in learning about multiplication word problems, the teacher presented the problem so that the child was cast as a customer buying food items, which successfully engaged her.
  • English classes use carefully selected books and activities designed to be engaging, also taking into account the children’s skill level and communication mode.
  • The curriculum incorporates topics relevant to the children’s real lives and current needs, such as transport, road safety, and seasons. Additionally, it addresses immediate needs and inappropriate behaviours as they arise, like teaching about boundaries, private and public spaces, and sexual education.
  • Cooking classes plan recipes based on the children’s varying skill levels.
  • Leisure activities are designed to develop pre-vocational skills, while also allowing for experimentation and creativity, often aligning with upcoming celebrations.
  • The math curriculum prioritises topics under numerical literacy that are relevant to the daily lives of the children. For instance, learning about time helps children understand how long they have to wait for a snack or an event.
  • If children do not answer open-ended questions, therapists convert them into yes/no questions, providing visuals to aid clarity and give the child agency.
  • The after-school programme breaks down learning material into manageable parts and uses visual aids to help children understand concepts. We also use real-world examples and hands-on experiments to make the material more relatable.

Key pedagogical approaches that define learning at Subodha

Subodha employs several key pedagogical approaches to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment, with a strong emphasis on community engagement. These approaches include:

  • Parent Training The essence of which involves building a working relationship between the child and the parents, focusing on mutual listening and understanding to facilitate emotional regulation and independence. The training also empowers parents to support their children across all areas and prepares them to work with other children, fostering group cohesion.
  • Individualised Interventions Tailored to meet the specific needs of each child, addressing challenges such as attention deficits or emotional regulation difficulties.
  • Programme Reviews Conducted periodically with parents and the team to discuss progress, feedback, and skill alignment, ensuring that goals are matched to the children’s diverse skill sets and backgrounds.
  • Holistic Perspective Programmes are viewed from cognitive, social, and emotional angles, with consideration given to the sensory needs of the child and the emotional support required by both the child and the parents.
  • Behaviour Management Using non-intrusive tools to encourage positive behaviour, focusing on reinforcing appropriate actions and supporting children in self-regulation and emotional control. Strategies include written schedules with visual aids and dialogue to help children express themselves and understand boundaries.
  • Homeschooling support Which offers a choice to parents after the training, to continue with classroom setups or to take curriculum support for homeschooling. The curriculum evolves and includes literacy, numeracy, and emotional regulation goals.
  • Community Involvement Encouraging parents to actively participate in the programme, fostering a sense of community where they can support each other, exchange skills, and share experiences. This includes cross-training among parents, where they exchange children and help each other with specific challenges.
  • Inclusive Group Dynamics Ensuring a supportive environment for social learning, where parents are equipped to work with other children, creating a community where they can seek help and support.
  • Curriculum Customisation Tailoring learning materials to match the preferences and interests of the children, making learning more engaging and relevant to their lives.
  • Real-Life Application Connecting academic learning to real-life situations through activities like cooking classes, role-playing games, and practical problem-solving. These activities aim to teach children skills necessary for self-sufficiency and independence.
  • After School support Providing academic support, social skills development, and emotional regulation techniques. This includes breaking down learning materials into manageable parts, using visual aids, and employing interactive and fun games.
  • Leisure Activities Offering daily leisure classes to promote prevocational skills, encourage experimentation, and foster interaction among children and parents from different groups.
  • Celebrations Celebrating various festivals to promote inclusivity and create a sense of community. Activities are planned to be relevant to the festival, and potluck lunches are organised.
  • Outdoor Excursions Organising trips to promote community and provide new experiences.

Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is a key focus area at Subodha, integrated into various programmes and activities. Here’s how emotional regulation is addressed:

  • Family Training Programme (FTP): The FTP focuses on building a working relationship between parents and children. This involves creating a space where they listen to each other, fostering understanding and emotional regulation. A key focus of the FTP is helping children understand and regulate their emotions, as well as providing parents with the emotional support they need.

  • Programme Reviews: Programme reviews consider the emotional support that both the child and the parent need.

  • Homeschooling Programme: Emotional regulation goals are supported within the homeschooling curriculum.

  • Behaviour Management: Subodha uses non-intrusive tools to encourage positive behaviour and focuses on reinforcing appropriate behaviours. Strategies are implemented to support children in self-regulation and emotional control, especially when dealing with meltdowns and temper tantrums. The source also mentions the use of written schedules with visual aids to enhance predictability.

  • Calming Area: Subodha provides a safe and structured calming area for self-regulation.

  • After-School Programme: One of the three pillars of the after-school programme is emotional regulation. This involves helping children acknowledge their feelings and learn effective coping strategies. For example, children are taught breathing techniques to manage anxiety during exams.

  • English Classes: Lessons are planned to address immediate needs as they arise, including appropriate behaviours and boundaries.

  • Communication and Dialogue: Dialogue is emphasised as necessary, giving children the space to express and communicate their feelings. Asking the right kinds of questions is important.

  • Social Stories: Social stories and consistent interventions are used to address specific behaviours, such as running away.

  • Community Support: The community environment at Subodha allows parents to support each other. For example, parents share experiences and provide respite, which contributes to overall emotional well-being.

Emotional regulation is interwoven into Subodha’s various programmes, creating a supportive environment that addresses both the child’s and the family’s emotional needs.

Sensory Needs

Subodha integrates sensory profiles as an important element in its approach to supporting children, specifically within the programme review process.

Here’s how sensory profiles are integrated:

  • Programme Reviews: During programme reviews, one of the most important aspects considered is the sensory needs of the child. These reviews involve parents and the Subodha team coming together periodically to discuss progress and feedback.
  • Individualised Interventions: Based on a child’s sensory profile, individualised interventions are planned to facilitate their needs.
  • Alternatives: The team considers what alternatives need to be given to the child based on their sensory profile.

By considering sensory profiles, Subodha aims to create a supportive environment tailored to each child’s unique sensory processing preferences and sensitivities.

Behaviour management and support

Behaviour management at Subodha involves a multifaceted approach aimed at encouraging positive behaviour and supporting children’s emotional regulation. It is integrated into various programmes and daily activities.

Here are the key components of behaviour management at Subodha:

  • Non-Intrusive Tools: Subodha uses non-intrusive tools to encourage positive behaviour.
  • Reinforcement of Appropriate Behaviours: The primary focus is on reinforcing appropriate behaviours.
  • Self-Regulation and Emotional Control: Behaviour management strategies support children in self-regulation and emotional control. This is particularly important when managing meltdowns and temper tantrums.
  • Strategies:
    • Written Schedules and Visual Aids: These tools enhance predictability for the children.
    • Dialogue: Dialogue is considered essential, providing children with a space to express their feelings and communicate when they are not okay. Asking the right questions is emphasised.
    • Social Stories: Social stories are used to address specific behaviours.
    • Consistent Interventions: Consistent interventions are implemented to support behaviour management.
  • Basic Rule Following: Even when children exhibit aggressive behaviours, they are taught basic rules, such as “it’s not okay to pinch amma”.
  • Acknowledgement and Understanding: We acknowledge the child’s feelings while also setting boundaries on what behaviours are acceptable.
  • Calming Area: A safe and structured calming area is available for self-regulation.
  • Individualised Interventions: Each child has individual interventions planned and executed to address their specific needs.
  • Consistency and Positive Reinforcement: Positively reinforcing good behaviours is a key aspect of behaviour management.
  • Addressing Inappropriate Behaviours: Lessons are planned to address immediate needs as they arise, including inappropriate behaviours and teaching about boundaries.
  • Appropriate Alternative Behaviours: When addressing inappropriate behaviors, we help teach appropriate alternative behaviors.
  • Community Support: The community environment at Subodha allows parents to support each other, sharing experiences and providing respite, which contributes to overall emotional well-being.

Subodha has several success stories and cases that highlight the effectiveness of our programmes.

  • Home Schooling Programme: The Family Training Programme (FTP) has successfully trained two batches of parents, empowering them to confidently implement home schooling programmes.
  • Running Away Behaviour: In one instance, a child with a running away behaviour learned to stay inside and ask to go out instead of running away. This was achieved through a social story, consistent interventions, and the support of another parent who took on the responsibility of teaching the child safety behaviours, even when the child’s mother was overwhelmed and scared of the child running away.
  • Picky Eating: A child who wouldn’t eat, even with their mother present, was supported by therapists who helped feed him so that he can have a good meal. This allowed the mother to focus on her younger child.
  • Emotional Regulation: A therapist was able to use yes/no questions to understand that a child was acting out because he wanted attention.
  • Dealing with Losing: A student in the after-school programme who had difficulty dealing with losing a game improved significantly after 6-8 months of consistent support. We acknowledged his feelings and provided him with alternate language to cope with the loss. Eventually, he was able to use the strategies he was taught to console others.
  • Maths Engagement: A child who initially showed no interest in learning about multiplication word problems became fully engaged when the problems were presented in the context of her love for food. By customising the learning material to her interests, she was able to provide all the right answers with minimal help.
  • Eating Intervention: A child who was not eating enough food, after two months of intervention is now eating food nicely and independently in the classroom.

Considering neurodiversity is something one is born with and needs to live with, it is important that the approaches we adapt are aligned with long term goals and aspirations of the community. Here are some of the goals we keep in mind at Subodha.

  • Empower parents to become confident in supporting their children’s development and learning. This involves equipping parents with the skills and knowledge necessary to implement home schooling programmes effectively and independently. The Family Training Programme (FTP) is central to this goal, as it focuses on building strong working relationships between parents and children, fostering mutual understanding and emotional regulation.

  • Create and sustain a supportive and inclusive community where neurodiverse individuals and their families can thrive. This includes fostering a sense of belonging, encouraging mutual support among parents, and providing a safe and understanding environment for children. The emphasis on community involvement and shared experiences, such as leisure activities and celebrations, contributes to this long-term vision.

  • Enable children to develop essential life skills and independence, preparing them for adulthood. This encompasses a range of skills, from self-care and daily living to social interaction and emotional regulation. The curriculum is designed to be relevant to the children’s lives, with a focus on functional literacy and numeracy, as well as pre-vocational skills.

  • Provide tailored educational support that meets the unique needs and interests of each child. This involves customising learning materials, adapting teaching methods, and offering individualised interventions to address specific challenges. Subodha aims to support children up to grade 10, with options for non-traditional subjects that align with their aptitudes and interests.

  • Promote social skills and emotional well-being among neurodiverse children. This includes teaching children how to manage their emotions, interact positively with others, and navigate social situations effectively. The after-school programme and leisure activities provide opportunities for children to develop these skills in a supportive and structured environment.

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