- Diagnostic assessments using internationally recognized standardized assessment tests are conducted by the Psychologist for purposes of identifying a child’s difficulties and planning individualized remedial educational programs.
- Informal educational evaluations are conducted in Sinhala, Tamil, or English depending on the child’s mother tongue.
CHITRA LANE
CHILDREN’S RESOURCE CENTRE
CHITRA LANE
RESOURCE CENTRE
Our Outreach
The Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre was established in 1989 with the aim of reaching out to children and young adults with special needs from across Sri Lanka. The Children’s Resource Centre is now recognized as a center of excellence to which doctors, schools, and other organizations from across Sri Lanka refer children regularly for evaluations and follow-up interventions. This pioneering program now has an annual caseload of over 500 children that comes to us from in and around Colombo as well as distant districts in the Southern province, the central hills, and the North and East of Sri Lanka and beyond. Any child, regardless of his or her ethnic, religious, or socio-economic background is welcome at our Centre.
Children with Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, and several other disabilities and developmental delays, participate in our programs. A majority of the children have multiple disabilities which include speech impairments, mobility, and learning difficulties. We also see many children who are attending regular mainstream schools in Colombo and other districts who are having difficulties coping with their school work. In these cases, we work closely with the child’s school as well as the parents in carrying out individualized remedial programs.
Special Units Within the Chitra Lane Resource Centre include Early Childhood Development, Special Education, Speech and Language Development, Creative Arts, Self-help and Life Skills, Parent Training and Behaviour Management, Physiotherapy, Physical Education and Hydrotherapy, IT Skills, Medical Services, and Psychology.
Our Aim
The Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre aims to provide a positive and nurturing environment for children with special needs, helping them to lead productive and independent lives and reach their maximum potential. Any Child with learning difficulties, developmental delays and other special needs should have access to a pioneering supportive education and development programme that focuses on each child’s individual strengths and needs. Our programme helps in building a solid foundation by empowering parents with necessary parenting skills and knowledge. The individualized schemes are tailored to provide multi-sensory approaches to learning and to help prepare the child to attend Chitra Lane School or other mainstream schools as a full-fledged student.
Programs & facilities
Every child that walks in through our doors is seen by one of our experienced consultants and provided with screening and an intervention programme that is carried out by a team of professionals including educational and medical specialists, psychologist, speech therapists, physiotherapists, and several special education and remedial teachers.
The Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre consists of the following twelve units through which it’s comprehensive diagnostic and intervention programmes are carried out:
The Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre is open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Children are seen by prior appointment only.
For appointments, please contact us on +94 112503906.
Our Services
Educational Skills Analysis & diagnostic testing
Early Childhood development
- Infant stimulation and play therapy for infants and toddlers
- Pre-school program for children where the child’s sensory, cognitive, language, and creative art skills are developed.
- Parent training on infant stimulation, child development, and continuing with the intervention programs at home.
Special education
- Individualized sessions for children with poor attention and behavior problems as well as learning difficulties. Parents are encouraged to participate so that they are able to cope with the child’s behavior at home and carry out the intervention program
- Individualized special education sessions on developing sensory, cognitive, language, and number skills. The program is based on specific interventions recommended by the in-house educational consultants and Psychologists.
Remedial education for children with learning disabilities who are attending mainstream schools
- Individualized remedial programs are conducted for children with learning disabilities including Dyslexia, poor attention, and behavior problems. The intervention program is based on an educational evaluation done by the Psychologist and educational consultants.
- The Chitra Lane Children’s Centre works closely with the child’s regular school as well as the parents in creating a better learning environment within the mainstream school and assisting the child to cope with his/her learning disabilities.
Creative arts
- Group art therapy, music and movement sessions for children.
Life Skills & Vocational Training for young adults
- Occupational therapy and developing life skills.
- Vocational skills training in sewing, cookery, housekeeping, making recycled paper products, and screen printing.
- Identifying specific income-generating projects that can be carried out within the individual’s home and providing guidance and support to the family by way of training, marketing the products and sourcing orders, maintaining accounts, etc.
Hearing, Speech & Language Development
- Audiological evaluations (Pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, brain-stem audiometry, impedance audiometry; sound-field audiometry); hearing aid fitting and analysis.
- Speech & language evaluations (speech & language delays, disorders, voice disorders, disfluency) and speech therapy.
- Ear Mould Laboratory which produces soft/hard molds, and swimming plugs.
- Distribution center for IMPACT Affordable Hearing Aids
- Parent training on carrying out speech therapy exercise at home
Medical Services
- A team of doctors conducts regular Paediatric, Psychiatric, ENT, and Dental Clinics at the Resource Centre’s fully equipped Medical Unit.
- Conducting awareness programs for parents and other caregivers.
- Periodical screening and medical assessments for children and young adults.
Physiotherapy & Hydrotherapy
- Physical evaluations and follow-up physiotherapy with extensive intervention programs for parents to carry out at home.
- The Resource Centre conducts daily hydrotherapy sessions in the in-house swimming pool for individual children or for groups of 3-4 children along with their parents.
Programs for parents
- Parent counseling and creating awareness within the family regarding the child’s difficulties and management at home.
- Parent training and enhancing their knowledge on the intervention program so that the activities can be continued within the home.
Public Awareness & Staff training programmes
- Regular training programs and practical workshops are conducted for teachers and caregivers from other organizations, as well as government and private schools on child development, early detection of learning difficulties, special education, and other relevant subjects.
- Parent awareness programs are conducted on different issues related to children with special needs with plenty of opportunities for parents to ask questions, share their experiences, and gain knowledge on coping with their child within the home.
- The CRC collaborates with the University of Colombo in creating awareness programs for their medical students. Upon graduation, these doctors work at government base hospitals island-wide and are in regular touch with us. Through these doctors, we are able to reach out to many children with special needs residing in distant districts.
- Public awareness material such as newsletters, pamphlets, and booklets on early detection of disabilities and early intervention is published regularly by the Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre in Sinhala, Tamil and English. This information is distributed amongst parents, teachers, schools, doctors, and hospitals within Colombo as well as across Sri Lanka.
Psychometric Assessments
| Name of Assessment | Description
|
Age Range | Author |
| Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (V Edition – US) | Measures a child’s intellectual ability | 6 years to 16 years 11 months | David Wechsler |
| Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (III Edition – UK) | Measures cognitive ability in adolescents and adults | 16 years to 84 years 11 months | David Wechsler |
| Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (III Edition – US) | Identifies the academic strengths and weaknesses of a student and is used to measure previously learned knowledge in the areas of Reading, Written Language, Mathematics, and Oral Language. | 4 years to 50 years 11 months | David Wechsler |
| McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities | Measures a younger child’s general intellectual level as well as their strengths and weaknesses in important abilities | 2 years 6 months to 8 years 6 months | Dorothea McCarthy
|
| Dyslexia Screening Test – Junior | Identifies school children at risk for dyslexia.
Provides a profile of strengths and weaknesses which can be used to guide the development of in-school support for the student identified as at risk for dyslexia |
6 years 6 months to 11 years 5 months | Angela Fawcett and Rod Nicolson |
| Dyslexia Screening Test – Senior | Provides a profile of strengths and weaknesses which can be used to guide the development of in-school support for the student identified as at risk for dyslexia | 11 years 6 months to 16 years 5 months | Angela Fawcett and Rod Nicolson |
Our Team
The Resource Centre consists of a multi-disciplinary team of consultants, teachers, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and administrative staff who work together providing individualized programmes for children who attend the Centre between 8am and 5pm for additional support. Ours is a team of highly skilled and caring individuals that create a warm, nurturing, and colourful environment in which children can learn new skills and develop to their fullest potential.
