•  Why is DEALL eclectic in nature?
The Communication DEALL program is a profile based intervention program. The basic premise of the program is that children with communication disorders such as those with PDD/ASD/SLI/DVD have a range of deficits (and at times strengths) that affect many aspects of their development. Given the as yet limited understanding of what causes these deficits and the consequent lack of clarity on medical management, our intervention program focuses on providing each child with intervention that addresses his or her given needs at a particular time. Hence the eclectic nature of the program.

•  Is there an age limit for enrollment in to the DEALL program?
Ideally enrollment in DEALL should take place by the age of 2½ years so that the child has the benefit of a maximum of 3 years of intervention in DEALL.

•  How long is the DEALL intervention required?
As a rule we recommend a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years of intervention. Our 'gold standard' for moving children out of the DEALL program is the achievement of age appropriate skills across all domains. It has been our experience that children who join the program early (by three years) are most likely to achieve the 'gold standard' within a year or two, while those who join the program later take a longer time or don't quite make it. Children who move out of the regular program but are in need of additional help are provided with individual therapy.

•  Why not only/more individual therapy?
Traditionally speech and occupational therapy are provided 'one on one'. However it has been our experience that, while children do make considerable gains in individual therapy, unless it is supplemented by group intervention the child has difficulty in maintaining these skills across people and situations, thus affecting integration in to regular school. In addition given the paucity of trained professionals and the cost of individual therapy, we opted for group intervention, in order to serve more children at lower costs.

•  Will my child learn negative behavior from other children in the group?
Children often pick up negative behavior from peers. Special children are no exception to this rule. However at DEALL, we have a high staff to student ratio (1:3) and all children are monitored closely to prevent/reduce acquisition of undesirable behavior.

•  What is the role of the family?
The family's role in intervention is as important as that of the therapists. Unless the family continues and supplements the intervention program at home, success will be limited. In the DEALL program parents are frequently invited to sit in and observe 'demonstration sessions' so that they may carry out the same at home.

•  What is the rate of success?
Our initial success (integration) rate was about 30% after 2 years of intervention. However as we fine tune our program and enroll younger children our success rate is steadily increasing - with an average of about 50 to 60% after the second and third year. It is our constant endeavor to better this record.

•  Is there a need for additional therapy?
If a child is enrolled early for intervention and receives adequate support from the family there should be no need for additional therapy. However if the child is enrolled at 4 years and above, or the family cannot provide adequate support at home, then additional therapy may be recommended.

•  Do you prescribe medications?
We do not prescribe any medications at DEALL. Medications if any have to be prescribed by a qualified medical person only. However we need to know if the child is on medication.

•  Do you prescribe diets?
We do not prescribe any diets. But we do need to know if the child is on any kind of diet.

•  Will my child become completely normal?
There is no guarantee of 'normalcy'. Our early intervention program is aimed at enhancing the child's skills across several areas and reducing undesirable behavior. Several of our children have been able to maximize their potential and minimize their difficulties. Some of them have been integrated in regular schools and are functioning perfectly well. However many do not achieve age appropriate skills even after 3 years of intensive intervention and need to be enrolled in special schools.

•  Should regular/mainstream schooling also be introduced along with enrolment in the DEALL program?
We do not recommend mainstreaming of a child unless and until s/he is ready/his or her prerequisite learning skills are in place, that is, the child should be able to sit in a place, attend to and comply with simple instructions. Usually this happens within the first year at DEALL after which we strongly recommend part time/full time admission in to a supportive regular school. Many children attend regular school in the morning and DEALL in the afternoon, prior to moving out of DEALL, completely.

•  What after DEALL?
Ideally a child should be mainstreamed in a regular school after DEALL. However not all children succeed in DEALL. If after three years of intervention a child does not catch up with age appropriate skills we recommend that s/he is enrolled in the special stream. We do offer some amount of supportive services for those who have moved out of DEALL.