A DOCTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

There was no time to clock in my attendance that morning, I rushed along the paved path that led up to the nursing station. It was just about that time of the year in Vellore when the raging heat gave way to a welcome nip in the air.

The morning cast a misty spell - it felt good to be alive!

Breathless, I slipped through the station toward the Grand Rounds. “Late again, Doctor Ji,” a nurse teased as I hurried past. Hoping to dodge Dr.Paul’s stern gaze, I quietly joined the back of the team, only to realize something unusual had happened. The corridor had fallen silent. Even our usually restless young patient, known for his ceaseless spinning, stood still.

Then I saw why.

A spotted mother deer and her fawn had wandered in, nibbling gently at the ivy along the fence. The sight held us all captive. In the calm of that moment, even a busy Monday morning at Nambikkai Nilayam felt transformed into something magical.

A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH

‘Nambikkai Nilayam’, Tamil for “A Centre of Hope”, was founded in 1978 as part of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit at the Christian Medical College Vellore. It was the vision of Dr. Rose Chacko, a trailblazer who, at a time when little was understood about neurodevelopmental disabilities, imagined a program that could nurture both children and their families. Her approach was revolutionary: helping parents gain skills and confidence while their children received structured, rehabilitative care.

Over the years, the centre has grown into a beacon for families across India and South Asia.

The family-centered approach of the therapy adopted here comes with the promise of ‘effectiveness’.

Parent empowerment through evidenced-based up-skilling is backed by a strong interdisciplinary team of child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, special educators, and nursing staff.

This team integrates aspects of cognitive training, functional occupational therapy, speech and language, sensory-based therapy, and pharmacotherapy to ensure that each child and family receives the best possible care. The noteworthy feature of the program is that the children and their parents reside up to three months in this residential facility, benefitting from a milieu that provides a non-judgemental environment and one that fosters universality.