WHAT PARENTS SHOULD BETTER DO (Part III)

WHAT PARENTS SHOULD BETTER DO

Continuation of 2nd Part...

7. In order to deal with the child with the disability, parents would better acquaint themselves with the nature of problems and the measures adoptable by other parents that would enormously benefit. For this, keeping regular touch with other parents would no doubt be helpful. Exchanges and interactions between the parents enhance self-confidence and assure appropriate dealing with the child with the disability.

8. In modern day world, people are busy in satisfying themselves. Whether in opulence or penury everybody loves oneself most and the grievance is the outcome when one is made to take care of others. But parents with children with disabilities are to devote larger share or their time towards the children. If no time is given or care of the special child is left under the responsibility of a hired person or others a hostile situation would be faced. In that event, life would be less sweet and the world aggressive. Devoting greater time to the special child does not imply overprotection, nor rejection. It means to find ways how to bring the special child to mainstream life as close as possible. No person other than parents will be able to devote time and care to children with disabilities.

9. Issues involving the welfare of persons with disabilities can best be upheld by the parents who have the most intimate knowledge about the problems. As pointed out earlier interaction and exchanges between the parents strengthen them in dealing with the problems. But parents are really empowered if they form groups. All know one stick is weaker than a bundle. Similarly, parents groups or association are strong and essential. It on the one side would reiterate that a parent is not alone, and general satisfaction about the strength of the group is always a better choice as it is stronger than an individual.

10. Alert parents must be satisfied about what the therapists, if any, are doing and for what. Spending money, devoting time all are expensive in terms of money. The resource cannot be wasted. If any treatment or therapy is not effective frustration would creep in and parents may be demoralized. This also advocates involvement.

To be Continued......

                                                                                                      Taken from

                                                                                                        "Sfuran"

                                                 Commissioner Disabilities, Govt. of West Bengal

What Parents Should Better Do (Part II)

What Parents Should Better Do

Continuation of 1st Part...

4. Parents should also see that siblings  of the special child, grand parents and near relatives living with them acquire knowledge of disability. It would than be a bogie of like behaviours meted but effectively for betterment of the special child. Parents group can persuade trainers or specialists to have some sitting with the siblings, grandparents and near relatives of the family.

5. Parents often are found to be ignorant about the facilities and assistance given by the State. With the introduction of various Acts the Government have intensified pattern and volume of assistance to the person with disabilities. The details of facilities and opportunities can be available in the Office of the Commissioner for persons with disabilities or Director of Social Welfare, Department of Mass Education Extension at Kolkata and offices of the District Magistrates (Social Welfare Section) in the districts. Various non-government organizations working in the disability sector can also help the parents in this regard.

6.There are these laws in the country – i) Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights & Full Participation) Act 1995, ii) National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act 1999, iii) Mental Health Act 1987, & iv) Rehabilitation Council of India Act 1992. All these laws have various provisions of assistance covering all aspects of living. Important subjects relate to early identification, certification with percentage of disability, education, employment, barrier-free environment creation, social security, non-discrimination, affirmative actions all for benefit of the persons with disabilities parents if knowledgeable about the provisions of the Acts can choose the right and shortest track to get the desired facility.

                                                                                                To be Continued......

                                                                                                      Taken from

                                                                                                        "Sfuran"

                                                 Commissioner Disabilities, Govt. of West Bengal

What Parents Should Better Do (Part I)

What Parents Should Better Do

Everybody would perhaps agree to the proposition that sooner we identify or detect a mistake and fire greater the chances of success and prevention of destruction. Similarly, disability, if detected early the impact, is minimal. Despair and gloom have no cutting edge Nor anybody is ready to pay attention to lamentation for the irony of fate usually made scapegoat by parents when a child either born with a disability or become disable by any reason. The most piercing is the pain when parents are faced with problems of children with mental disabilities, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities. There is no doubt that parent’s responsibilities are greatest in shaping the future of offsprings.

Some steps are suggested :

1.    When a child with the disability is born the parents, as well as other members of the family, are upset. They wear look of gloom. But there is no reason for being upset because anxiety and bewilderment would not relieve them. What is required is to accept the fact and deal with the problem. Parents should not be over-protective. Neither they should be reluctant.

2.    It has been seen that a considerable time, say 4 to 5 years are passed before the disability is detected and confirmed. It is not uncommon that people are ignorant of disabilities with their types and the actual needs. So it is advisable for all parents to in touch with networking system concerned with the disability sector. Thereby they would have the idea about the type of disability, its symptoms, impact and measures to be adopted.

Once knowledge about the type of disability is acquired the next thing parents should do is consulting specialists. The concerned specialist would of course after examination would give guidance in the matter of training, education, aids and appliances, therapy whatever is required. In this matter, it is better to go to the specialists who are attached to special schools or organization. It is further advisable to consult specialists who are professionals recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India. Even, whether doctors are to be consulted would be advised by such specialists. If RCI registered specialists are found to misguide by any chance parents can complain with the RCI Govt. Of India.

To be Continued......

                                                                                                        "Sfuran"

                                                   Commissioner Disabilities, Govt. Of West Bengal

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active. It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, children with ADHD do not just grow out of these behaviours. The symptoms continue, can be severe, and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends.

A child with ADHD might: daydream a lot, forget or lose things a lot, squirm or fidget, talk too much, make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks, have a hard time resisting temptation, have trouble taking turns, have difficulty getting along with others. The cause(s) and risk factors for ADHD are unknown, but current research shows that genetics plays an important role. Deciding if a child has ADHD is a process with several steps. There is no single test to diagnose ADHD, and many other problems, like anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and certain types of learning disabilities, can have similar symptoms.

In most cases, ADHD is best treated with a combination of behaviour therapy and medication. For preschool-aged children (4-5 years of age) with ADHD, behaviour therapy, particularly training for parents, is recommended as the first line of treatment. What works best can depend on the child and family. Good treatment plans will include close monitoring, follow-ups, and making changes, if needed, along the way.

If you or your doctor has concerns about ADHD, you can take your child to a specialist such as a child psychologist or developmental paediatrician, or you can contact your local early intervention agency (for children under 3) or public school (for children 3 and older).

Hearing Impairment And Impact of Hearing impairment

Hearing Impairment

Any deviation from the limits of normal hearing is defined as hearing impairment. Hearing sensitivity of each ear is measured separately and the degree of hearing impairment/ hearing loss is generally classified in five categories and additional category-slight hearing loss is added between the normal hearing and mild hearing loss especially when assessing the hearing sensitivity of the young children. Table 1 shows the classification of severity of hearing impairment.

              

                 Classification                                                                        PTA range in dBHL

Normal Hearing                                                                   -10 to 15

Slight Hearing Loss                                                               16 to 25

Mild Hearing Loss                                                                26 to 45

Moderate Hearing Loss                                                      46 to 55

Moderately – Severe Hearing Loss                                   56 to 70

Severe Hearing Loss                                                            71 to 90

Profound Hearing Loss                                                       91 and more

     

Table 1. Classification of hearing impairment severity

Impact of hearing impairment

                   

Consequences of hearing impairment will depend on the ears involved, degree of hearing loss, type of hearing loss and age at onset of hearing impairment. Usually, it is assumed that if hearing impairment is only in one ear, person may not have any serious problems in terms of listening. However, research has indicated difficulty to localize, reduced speech discrimination and lower speech and language development leading to significant effect on educational, linguistic and auditory perceptual development of children.

Degree of hearing impairment is of major factor leading to the negative impact on the social, educational and economical development of the individual. Mild hearing impairment may not place persons in disadvantageous position to hear and communicate but the higher degree of hearing impairment can put the person daily living in a very difficult position as he/she will need some assistance. Generally, people speak while involved in conversation at 65dBSPL. If a person has hearing impairment of 60dBHL or more he/she will find problems in verbal communication. This level of hearing impairment has been equated as 40% hearing impairment as in persons with disability(Full participation, equal opportunity and protection of rights) act 1995. Thus the definition of hearing disabled as stipulated in the PWD Act 1995 is a person who has minimum of 60dBHL of hearing impairment in the better ear in speech conversation frequencies.

…… Reference is taken from "Sfuran"

Govt. of West Bengal

Understanding Hearing Impairment

Hearing is one of the vital sense organs, which facilitates the social and economic development of the individual. Two ears provide the binaural advantage of hearing so that one can able to localize the source of the sound and judge the distance of the source of the sound. Because of the complex structure of the inner ear, one can able to distinguish minor differences in intensity, frequency and duration of sounds, which is importantly used for discrimination of speech sounds. Thus hearing plays an important role in learning the verbal language. Physiologically ear respond to sounds having the frequency between the 20Hz to 20000Hz when the air pressure equal to or more than 0.0002 dynes per sq. cm is created by any vibrating object. It is also found that binaural hearing thresholds are better than monaural hearing thresholds providing the advantage of ease of listening. Adults with no history of ear problem have a pure tone threshold average for the frequency of 500Hz, 1000Hz, and 2000Hz within 25dBHL. In children, the normal hearing limit shall be 15dBH, as the lower level for normal hearing norms was considered keeping in view of the importance of hearing during the language and speech learning period at an early age.

…… To be continued 

Reference from Sfuran

          Govt. of West Bengal

The Magnitude of the Hearing Impairment

As on 1^st March 2001, Indian population stands at 1,027,015,247 and projected population in 2016 will be 1, 263,543,000. (Census of India, 2001). With the present set of a concept of hearing disability, the Census of India, 2001 counted 1,261,722 people in whom hearing disability exists (Males 53.4% and Females 46.59%). Majority of persons with hearing disability reside in rural India (81.06%) except in the Union territory of Chandigarh. Delhi, and Daman and Diu.

NSS 58^th Round of Survey estimated persons with disability to be 18.49 million (1.8% of the total population). 10% of the persons with disability are likely to have the hearing disability of moderate to profound degree. This number is likely to go high if we have to add hearing disability of lower degree.

…… Reference from Sfuran

Govt. of West Bengal

How to Cope up with Stress?

How to Cope up with Stress?

“Stress” is a condition which we experience when we cannot meet up with the expectations of self or the Environment. The biggest myth is that only adults experience stress but out of my experience I have learned that an infant also suffers from stress which is unexpressed.  For example, a child has set a goal for himself/herself to achieve and supposedly he/she fails to accomplish at that moment this child might undergo stress. On the daily basis every individual at some time experience this condition. But the symptoms and stressors vary person to person.

If we discuss about children there are very many stressors in their life like: they have to look “cool” among their peers, they have to maintain their academic performance, and they also have to maintain a good “virtual image”. So, somehow while managing all these children loose the equilibrium and undergo stress which sometimes leads to Depression.

Symptoms of stress:

• Becoming easily restless, irritated, and temperamental
• Having difficulty calming and quieting your mind
• Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed
• Avoiding others
• Lack of  energy
• Headaches
• Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea
• Aches, pains, and stressed muscles
• Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
• Insomnia
• Recurrent colds and infections
• Nervousness and trembling,  cold or sweaty hands and feet
• Continuous worrying
• Racing thoughts
• Inability to focus
• Changes in appetite -- either not eating or eating too much
• Exhibiting more nervous behaviours, such as nail biting, fidgeting, and pacing

Ways to cope up with stress:

• -          Exercise daily
• -          Reduce your Caffeine intake
• -          Reduce junk food
• -          Increase intake of green vegetables and fruits
• -          Sleep well
• -          Write and discuss the problem
• -          Make a to-do list
• -          Be assertive
• -          Stop procrastination
• -          Deep breathing
• -          Listen to music
• -          Read positive literature
• -          Discuss the problem
• -          Focus on the solution
• -          Talk to professional

These are the few ways to deal with stress. If we can opt and implement even few of them it may become easier to cope up with such situations. A person with stress can also approach to professional like a counselor or psychotherapist who can connect them to the environment and themselves by individual and group therapy sessions.

Written by

Archana Sharma

Counselling Psychologist

Challenging Dejection By Parents of Special Need Children

  Challenging Dejection By Parents of Special Need Children

......taken from Sfuran (Commissioner Disability)

The nature and content of parental depression vary according to the specific personal and interpersonal situations and temperament of the parents: some blame themselves, some blame others, some have intense anxiety along with depression, some have crying spells, some resign early to fate and some become abusive. Also, parental depression occurs in different phases and takes different forms accordingly. For example, the anxiety and attribution of blame in the pre-diagnostic stage of uncertainty is very different from the post-diagnostic feeling of subsequent fatigue of prolonged caring. Again, the age of the child and the parent is a significant factor. The parental stress increases when the child reaches adolescence and also when the parents reach middle age. The relative share of depression and anxiety depends on socio-economic condition, the extent of socially embarrassing or disruptive symptoms of the child and social support.

Autism Basics

Autism Basics

(Last Part)

---- taken from an article of K. S. Adhikaree, Ex Asstt. Commissioner

In determining the degree of abnormality peculiarity, frequency, intensity, duration, of behaviour are also to be considered along with child’s chronological age.

Management – As it is not a disease no question of treatment may arise. Therapies, intervention, properly designed to remedy specific symptoms – educational, behavioural and medical are to be developed to bring substantial development. A very small proportion of those with childhood autism can lead independent adult life. There is rather a better prospect for a child with Asperger syndrome. The autistic children with mental retardation, epilepsy or other associated ailments will have restricted lifestyle in adulthood. Out of many interventions, educational and psychological are most effective. Before designing intervention a multidisciplinary team consisting of Psychologist, Psychotherapists, Speech Therapist, behaviour therapists, special educator, doctor and rehabilitation professionals and others should be formed comprehensive need assessment. ECE in Anganwadi Centres may yield a good result for the children with autism as they may learn language from other children. Every task of intervention should be developed step by step. Parental choice is always an effective guide for overall development but parents should not be over expectant or opposite. The doctor should be more cautious to declare a child AUTISTIC.

Children Whose Growth and Development May Get Hampered

Pradip Maity (Renounced Physiotherapist)

•     Birth before expected delivery date (37 weeks before).
•      Children who did not cry after birth.
•     Respiratory distressed.
•     Birth weight below 2kg 500 gm.
•       Infections.
•      Jaundice at a high level after few days of birth.
•      Convulsion.
•     Head injury during birth.
• 
  

Autism Basics

(Continuation of Last One)

Characteristic of Autism :

Severe delays in language development: Language develops too slowly if develops at all, and they have peculiar speech patterns like the unorganized use of words to understand its meaning or use of unusual metaphors or in a monotone voice. About 40% of children with autism do not talk at all, some have echolalia – the repeated words might be said right way or at a later time.

Severe delays in understanding social relationships: The child with autism often avoid eye contact, resists being picked up and seems to time out the world around them resulting lack of cooperative play with peers-a lack of ability to develop friendship and to understand others’ feelings.

Inconsistant pattern of sensory responses: the child with autism some time many appear to be deaf and fail to respond any word or other sounds, sometimes they are extremely distressed by the everyday sound of domestic appliances, even cry of pets. In fine, may show apparent insensitively or many overreact to the same cause.

Uneven pattern of intellectual functioning: Child with autism may do some work like drawing, music, computation in math etc quite well in relation to overall functioning. Very often the child with autism has varying degrees of mental retardation this combination of intellectual variation makes autism perplexing. 

---- taken from an article of K. S. Adhikaree, Ex Asstt. Commissioner

Autism Basics

(Continuation of Last One)

People with classic autism show three types of symptoms: impaired social interaction, the problem with verbal and non-verbal communication severely limited activities or interests. People with autism may have a different time relating the outside world and may have unusual relation to the people around him. They may demonstrate aggressive behaviour by one's activity, unusual passivity in relating to parents, family members and others.

Actually, autism is a spectrum disorder – the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combination. Two children both with the same diagnosis can act very different from one another and have varying skills.

Depending on ones, specific symptoms a child with autism can be included in any one of the following: Persons with autistic behaviour but well-developed language skills are often diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Apart from classic autistic disorder, and Asperger Syndrome, CDD, PDNOS, Rett Syndrome another conditions included in ASD, which occurs only in girls and cause them to develop autism-like symptoms after seemingly normal development. Rett syndrome is sex-linked genetic disorder characterized by inadequate brain growth seizures and other neurological problem.

---- taken from an article of K. S. Adhikaree, Ex Asstt. Commissioner

Autism Basics

Autism Basics

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how the brain functions specifically those areas of the brain that control social ability and communication skills i.e it is not a disease but a developmental disorder of brain’s function which was first described by Dr Leo Kanner in 1943. Autism prevents an individual from properly understanding what they see, hear, feel, smell, taste and otherwise sense. Naturally severe problems of social relationships communication and behaviours are cropping up.

Developmental disability means a severe, chronic disability of a person which is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of both is manifested before the person attains age of 22, is likely to continue indefinitely, results in substantial functional limitations in different area of major life activities like self care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self direction, capacity for independent living and economic sufficiency. And reflects the person’s need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned or coordinated.

To Be Continued....... Keep Watching......

---- taken from an article of K. S. Adhikaree, Ex Asstt. Commissioner (Disability)

Reasons for poor development of kids (Both Physically & Mentally)

Our Childs’ physical as well as mental growth and development involve all the changes that his/her body and mind go through. Every parent needs to regularly monitor their child’s growth. If a child's growth is not monitored closely, growth disorders may be missed. A growth disorder prevents the child from reaching the optimum height and weight. It can influence other aspects of the child's mental, physical, or emotional development. Also parents should be aware about their lifestyle and health.

Reasons for poor development of kids (Both Physically & Mentally)

      Pregnancy at low age. Like before 18yrs.

      Unusual bleeding during pregnancy.

      Prolonged Labour Pain

      All kinds of Infection.

      Malnutrition & Anemia.

      Diabetes

      High blood pressure/ High blood pressure during pregnancy.

      Jaundice.

      Convulsion.

      Medication without doctor consultation during pregnancy & XRay done.

      Addiction

      Marriage between close family relation.

Story of famous persons with disabilities

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd December) we are eager to share few beautiful and inspiring stories of famous persons with disabilities. 

1. Sudha Chandran- Famous Indian classical dancer who met with an accident in the age of sixteen. Doctors missed an injury in her ankle which later got infected. Finally they had to amputate her leg. She overcame her disability by getting a prosthetic “Jaipur Foot” and became one of the most famous and finest classical dancers of the country.  Having received international recognition for her works, Sudha Chandran is an inspiration for many.

2. Ravindra Jain- Born visually impaired, Jain started singing at a very young age. Later he joined the Indian music industry and became one of the most notable music directors in the 1970s. His dedication and passion towards his work was one of a kind. During one of the recording sessions, his father passed away, but he still did not leave the recording room without finishing his work.

3. Girish Sharma- Girish Sharma lost a leg in a train accident when he was a kid. But, this setback in life did not stop him from becoming a badminton champion. In fact he is a living storyteller and inspiration many as even after being physically disabled he always effortlessly covers the entire court.