A disability isn’t the end of the world, says Mumbai-based special educator Alisha Lalljee
Psychologist Alisha Lalljee’s debut book Take Time aims to help caregivers and teachers better understand and deal with disability in children.
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Mumbai-based psychologist, special educator and psychotherapist Alisha Lalljee wrote the book that explains various therapies — occupational therapy, physical therapy, physiotherapy. The word disability, especially when associated with children, evokes a series of strong emotions but what it actually needs is awareness and early intervention. It is with this hope that Mumbai-based psychologist, special educator and psychotherapist Alisha Lalljee has put together her first book, Take Time.
“Individuals dealing with these disabilities need time and we need to give them that time,” Alisha, 33, told The Indian Express ahead of the book launch on Tuesday evening at Title Waves in Bandra, adding that she has been putting together small booklets to spread awareness about various disabilities for a while now. It is when someone suggested she put them together in the form of a book that she acted on it.
The book written during the pandemic deals with several disabilities, from learning to intellectual, autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and visual and hearing impairment.
“I wrote this book especially for parents whom I see on a regular basis at my clinic. Even though about 15 per cent of the world’s population deals with some disability (including both diagnosed and undiagnosed), many have no idea what their child is going through. They have hundreds of questions and are very worried. With this, I hope to raise more awareness about these disabilities and how they can be dealt with,” shared Alisha, who runs her clinic in Bandra.
The 133-page book also explains various therapies — occupational therapy, physical therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, visual therapy, and aqua therapy — that one needs and should go for. “It will be a meaty read for all parents, teachers and caregivers to understand the disability causing a lag,” said Alisha, who also writes a parenting column for The Indian Express under the same title. “I have written several articles under it, they cater to toddlers and adolescents having difficulties, whether it is social anxiety or peer pressure, where they need more time. The book and those articles do not overlap,” she added.
The book, explained Alisha, also talks about the importance of a multidisciplinary approach where a child needs two or three professionals to ensure their holistic well-being, inclusive education and diet and nutrition.
“I have also dedicated a few pages to address various myths related to disabilities,” she said, adding, “Often parents think that the reason their child has a disability is because of neglect on their part or that it is a bad omen. We can’t always connect the dots unless it is Down syndrome, which is a chromosome disorder.”
With this book, Alisha hopes to reduce the anxiety that parents hold about disability. “I also hope to tell parents that one label is not the end of the world, and academics is not the only thing that their children’s lives would revolve around when they grow up,” asserted Alisha, who also hopes to turn this book in various languages so that it reaches people who are at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid and are not exposed enough to know how to take care of their children with disabilities.
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