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News Letter of Mysore Spastic Society |
Archives |
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| 4th Issue, |
October 2009 |
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| Importance of setting goals in raising a special child |
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| By Mrs. Shashikala Ramanth (Occupational Therapist JSS Occ. Therapy & Rehab. Centre and Consultant at Sneha Kiran) |
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| The revelation to parents that their child is affected with cerebral palsy (or any physical or mental disability) which affects their whole life, is one which generates huge trauma, disbelief, denial, blame and depression. While many parents/families blame doctors or others for wrong treatment and wait for the child to ‘outgrow’ the disability; many others take a long time to accept this fact. This acceptance is extremely important, as it facilitates further action, especially with children affected with cerebral palsy. A child with CP will not ‘outgrow’ the disability, it takes immense effort from the parent & child to work with therapist’s guidance to be able to manage the disability in the best way and make optimum use of the abilities’ the child has. |
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| Of the many ‘miracles’ Sneha Kiran has been witness to, here is one story…. |
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| Bhavani was only a year and a half old when I began working with her at the JSS hospital. It seemed such an uphill task; she was skinny, floppy, could not even hold her head up and wept loudly when she saw me. |
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| Her parents both needed to work to support the family. An old relative cheerfully brought Bhavani, every afternoon for the much required therapy. Months passed, illnesses, family problems etc resulted in long absences, things moved at snails pace. |
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| It was my job to constantly counsel them – for the need to help Bhavani be positioned correctly, encouraged to move and play, even if every action was so difficult. The sight of her crying if the toy was too far to reach, was enough for the family to forget therapy and run to pacify her. |
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| It was sometime after the setting up of Sneha Kiran centre, a teenaged relative of the family, Nagamani, arrived from the village to be a full time caretaker for Bhavani and accompanied her daily to Sneha Kiran for Therapy and Special Education. Things slowly started to change then… Nagamani with her bubbly nature and persistent attitude to ‘make’ Bhavani do things, saw to it that the child would not get away without proper training, she religiously followed the therapists advice on how to exercise, get the child to roll , sit , use her hands , communicate with her and others. |
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| Five years on, we see a different Bhavani. She can slowly sit up by herself, move on a cycle if her feet are fastened to the pedals, she indicates toileting, can finger feed solid foods herself, communicates with a smile, nod and even a few words…There is a noticeable change in the child. |
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| Children with CP will always have problems to deal with. Physio-Occupational therapies and training will be a lifetime process, much depends on the parents /caretakers understanding of what are the potentials of the child, and helping the child to achieve it. It is often a demanding parent/caretaker who can bring about a change in the quality of life of these special children. |
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