Putting the Developmental Model to Work: New Ways of Teaching and Learning in West Bengal An invisible entity, a tiny virus has changed what we knew as normal. The lockdown in India brought everything to a standstill. The closure of schools and programs sent parents of those with special needs in a tizzy, and it sometimes seems that everything is in jeopardy. No doubt, within a crisis lies possibility and promise, and Autism Society West Bengal decided to use the strong ideas they have been learning to adapt and help students thrive. The Developmental Model, a major theme of Social Role Valorization theory, incorporates a number of broad principles which are likely to result in great learning for all people, including those with disability. This was an opportunity to put some of those ideas into practice. To keep the teaching and learning process afloat, they began by providing online classes. Social stories were written, and visuals were prepared and circulated to all parents. But group teaching online somehow seemed to be missing the mark. The critical element of one-to-one interaction was missing, and they decided to individualize and personalize the approach to each student. Individualization and personalization is one of the hallmarks of a successful developmental approach, and this pushed them to individually design the learning path for each student. A person-centred online approach with video calls was envisioned as a possibility. Individualized Education Plans (IEP) were reviewed and modified, and adapted for new ways to teach and learn, incorporating highly individualized, person-centered methods. Online classes started with the teachers bonding with their students virtually and individually. Fourteen-year-old Dipyaman’s teacher sent the program schedule for the first week, hoping it would be a success. The teacher sang his favourite songs with him and recollected their days in school, and both shared about how they were missing school. The teacher used social stories as he talked about the pandemic and how we all had to change our routines. Then the teacher took Dipyaman on a virtual tour of his village, far away from Dipyaman’s home in Kolkata. Here, Dipyaman’s interest sharpened in amazement at the green open spaces, ponds,
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