Answers to common questions.

SOUND helps neurodivergent people and their families in Goa find the right specialist. Search the Directory, or message us on WhatsApp and one of us will search with you. Every profile shows how much we have confirmed. We do not give medical advice, clinical endorsements or referrals, and a profile is not a guarantee of outcomes.

Unconfirmed: we found the profile in public sources, and the professional hasn't confirmed it yet. Awaiting Verification: the details have been confirmed, either by the professional with a code sent by WhatsApp or SMS, or by one of our volunteers by phone. Verified: we have also checked the professional's registration number. These are administrative checks, not a clinical evaluation, and not a substitute for checking a professional's registration yourself.

A volunteer calls or messages the professional and checks four things: whether the phone number reaches them, whether they are still in the same area, what they offer, and whether they are still practising. Only our staff publish a profile or change its status, and a volunteer's check is never enough on its own.

After you use a profile's call, WhatsApp or email button, we may later ask whether you got through and how it went. It's anonymous: we don't ask for your name, phone number or email address, and your answer can't be traced back to you. You can ignore the question at any time.

Yes. Families do not pay to use SOUND, and there is no fee for professionals to list today. Donations, grants and corporate partnerships pay for SOUND.

No. A self-screening quiz is a starting point, not a diagnosis — it only helps you decide whether it may be worth talking to a professional. Only a qualified professional can diagnose anything.

We aim to. We list specialists for autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, learning differences, genetic syndromes, cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, sensory processing differences, and mental health conditions that often come with neurodivergence. The full list is on the About page. If yours is not there, message us.

About two minutes. If we already have your profile, you confirm it and it is marked Awaiting Verification. A new profile is checked by us first, and we will message you when it is ready. Adding more details to your profile is optional and takes about two more minutes.

If you tick the box on the claim form, we send at most two WhatsApp reminders about finishing your profile, and one message when your profile goes live. We never ask for a one-time code (OTP) by WhatsApp, by phone, or by any route other than the claim form itself.

Ask for an invite on the Volunteer page, or message us on WhatsApp. After that: short training, then you write your own script in your own words, then three practice profiles before your first real ones. After that, work comes in packs, one at a time, and you get a certificate at the end of each cycle.

If you give your PAN when you donate, your 80G receipt is emailed to you within 5–7 days. Gifts are eligible for a 50% deduction under 80G if you file under the old tax regime. Please check your PAN: we can't fix a receipt issued with a wrong PAN. If you did not give your PAN, email hello@sound.ngo with your donation receipt and PAN.

SOUND is registered under the Companies Act, 2013. If it ever closes, all remaining funds would go to a similar organisation working on neurodevelopmental support, as our governance documents require. Our registrations are listed on the About page.

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or X, or read the Transparency section on our About page.

We reply in 2–3 days.