Creating Ripples with special kids

Hyderabad: Do you know what’s common between Albert Einstien, Leornado Da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Orlando Bloom, Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson and Abhishek Bachchan? Apart from being famous, they are all dyslexic.

Even if we know very little about dyslexia or know nothing at all, we see it as a disease and that is where the treatment has to begin, says  Afshan Jabeen, founder of Ripples, a city-based start-up for dyslexic kids.

A professional counsellor, academic consultant, trainer and a dyslexia specialist for over a decade, Afshan always wanted dyslexic kids to be treated normally, in contrast to the way they are seen in the society.

“Unfortunately, not many parents figure out the problem and make the child go through trauma. So, this becomes problematic for a child who needs intervention. This is where I sensed the business opportunity and set up Ripples,” she reveals.

Dyslexia is a neurological disorder — a condition a person is born with. According to Madras Dyslexic Association, dyslexia may affect as much as 10 per cent of all children in India.

Dyslexics have non-verbal thoughts, which are thinking in pictures, where the picture grows as the thought process adds more concepts. Maths and language learning difficulties are some common symptoms.

“Despite the lack of awareness, professionals and the lack of support system, small investments could make this a great business opportunity,” she adds.

With an initial investment of Rs 2 lakh from her savings, Afshan set up her first Centre for Enhanced Learning in Hyderabad in 2011. A graduate from Osmania University, Afshan completed her AMI Montessori Diploma  and then a sepcialised course in dyslexia from Chennai.

Later, she pursued a counselling course from St. Francis College, Hyderabad after which she did her M.Sc in Applied Psychology from Annamalai University, Chidambaram.

Afshan also set up a website for dyslexics — www.ripples-cel.com  is a website that is colour-coded, has an audio option (so that the text is read out to a dyslexic) and also a font size option (to increase or decrease).

“The website has been designed very carefully for special kids,” Afshan adds. “Thank god for the movie Taare Zameen Par which has brought at least some awareness among people about dyslexia,” she quips.

Afshan treats about 120 students every year for psychoeducational assessment, 15 for dyslexia therapy and has trained 32 dyslexia intervention instructors. She is an avid reader and a mother of a 13-year-old boy. Ripples serves people across South India.

“Most often they book appointments over the telephone. They also can register on the website to book an appointment,” she adds. The company sees a revenue of Rs 80,000 per month.

On the other hand, Ripples is the sole authorised training centre for earson Clinical and Talent Assessment in AP that is used in assessing intelligence, memory, neurocognitive functioning, academic achievement, work aptitude and personality.

On a more personal note, Afshan says that she loves spending time with her family and cooking for them. “Unfortunately, I don’t get to cook very often because of my hectic work schedule,” she explains.