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One
of the latest additions to the hospital services has been the Child
Development Clinic, which caters to the needs of physically and mentally
handicapped children. The clinic offers comprehensive management by using the
services of a specially 'trained Pediatrician, Psychiatrist, Clinical
Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Play Therapist, Physiotherapist,
Orthotist. Prosthetist, Occupational Therapist and Medical Social Worker, so
far 1900 cases
have been registered and are being followed up regularly.
Many child-care providers have questions about how brains develop in young
children and what they can do to help with this development. Before you had
a baby, you probably never gave much thought to the most basic functions
that adults take for granted. You cannot remember a time when you could not
sit, stand, walk or speak. Now you have a newborn baby in your hands and you
just do not know what to expect. This tiny creature is like a blank slate
and parents spend many an anxious moment waiting for that first smile, the
first sign of recognition, the first day your baby stands up.
A
baby is a thing of joy forever. Parents are constantly fascinated and often
delighted and surprised as they watch their baby grow up. From the time they
are born, babies are constantly learning and growing, gaining new abilities
and mastering new skills. Ability is inherent, but a child's immediate
environment will determine how the ability develops and grows. Development
is an ongoing process from birth to about 18 years i.e. until physical
maturity.
The
first three years feature amazing development and is a period of
unparalleled growth in all areas of your baby's development. While we know
that the development of a young child's brain is a "work in progress" that
takes years to complete, we also know that development in the early years is
quite dramatic and can establish patterns for life-long learning.
The
newborn's brain has a long way to go. We now understand that, contrary to
previous widely held beliefs, the human brain is not fully developed at
birth. In fact, a newbom's brain is about 25% of its approximate adult
weight. By age 3, it has grown dramatically by producing billions of cells
(neurons and other brain cells) and hundreds of trillions of connections
between these cells (synapses). Taken together, they form a complex control
center for sensing the world and enabling the baby not only to see, hear,
move, taste and touch but also to think, feel, and behave in particular
ways. In other words, the baby's and young child's brain is vastly more
active and complex than previously known. Neuroscientists are not only
trying to learn more about the physical structure and functioning of the
brain but are also beginning to focus their attention on the ways in which
early nurturing experiences such as holding, feeding, and comforting impact
the way a baby's brain develops.
Parents are important! Parents can, and do, influence all areas of their
babies' development in countless ways every day. Most parents understand the
value of loving; secure relationships and age-appropriate and interesting
experiences in fostering children's physical, psychological and intellectual
development. They learn about the uniqueness of their babies in terms of
temperament, preferences, the way they like to be held, what soothes them
when they're upset, how they like to explore the world, what makes them
smile. Parents' growing knowledge, combined with their unqualified
commitment to their babies' well being, makes them their babies' most
powerful teachers and advocates. The more you as a parent learn about brain
development, the more you will realize that all of the things that you quite
naturally do with your baby in response to his or her unique signals foster
healthy development.
Recent census should high percentage of various handicaps in all states. The
handicap may be isolate or in various combination like Mental retardation,
physical retardation, visual, hearing handicapped, cerebral palsy , Down's
syndrome, behavioral problems and so on. All these handicaps have clinical
and social importance.
Handicapped children require multi disciplinary approach for management
comprising of
Various specialties, services and aids all available under one roof, the
family at large need
counseling regarding the handicap, its prevention and rehabilitation.
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