Learning tool Audiblox to the rescue of children with learning difficulties…
The article below was published in the Hindustan Times in India in 2008:
Eight-year-old Jayesh Vyaas’ predicament was similar to Ishaan Awasthi in the multi-grosser Taare Zameen Par.
Jayesh never showed any interest in reading, his concentration levels were low and he detested writing. His intelligence quotient, however, was above average.
Today, Jayesh no longer avoids reading. His conversation skills have improved and he has become attentive. “He has shown tremendous improvement,” says father Sushil.
Jayesh is one of the eight children who have enrolled for the Audiblox programme with the Vile Parle (W)-based Zenith Value Education Centre.
In this multi-sensory cognitive enhancement programme, children with learning disabilities are asked to arrange small, colourful blocks as the teacher calls out the colours. Hence the name ‘Audiblox’.
The centre is the brainchild of Zenobia N.E., an educationist who has been trained in Audiblox. “Being a parent of a dyslexic child, I can understand the anxiety and stress that children with any kind of learning disability face,” she says.
“I had admitted my child to one of the remedial schools but he was asked to read and write. This, he did not like. I did a bit of research on the subject and stumbled upon the Audiblox programme, which is already a success in 28 countries,” adds Zenobia.
She says, “I ordered an Audiblox kit and started teaching my son Zeshan through the manual. I saw a vast difference in his learning through this. It was then that I nurtured the idea of putting the programme across to other parents. That is how the Zenith Value Education Centre came up.”
According to Meenakshi Kalyanpur, a special educator who works in close association with Zenobia, the programme helps children develop their reasoning and concentration.
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