Holistic intervention for babies with developmental delay

ADAPT Announces workshop on "Holistic intervention for babies with developmental delay" by Bobath based therapist from 26th July - 28th July 2014. Time 9.00 am - 5.00 pm.

The work shop includes practical and hands on experience which includes treatment demos and treatment labs. Last date for registration extended to 22nd July.

Regards,

Dr Shabnam Rangwala (Pediatric Occupational therapist)

Doctor's orders –play video games

The Mumbai Branch of AIOTA congratulates its member Dr Saifuddin Bijliwala  (O.T) for creating Occupational Therapy awareness !

Doctor's orders –play video game

 TIMES OF INDIA Article by Sharmila Ganesan Ram, TNN | Jun 29, 2014, 07.31AM IST

Saiyam's muscles are neither patient nor totally in control. Within a span of ten minutes, they have made the eight-year-old boy play beach volleyball, salute an army general with the wrong hand, curse a formidable tennis opponent in Hindi and duck a little too late to avoid being hit by a virtual shoe.

Even as he waits for his `teacher' to change the video game, Saiyam is restless. "How did you stay put in your mother's tummy for nine months?" Dr Saifuddin Bijliwala asks him.

Bijliwala is the director of Jumpstart, an occupational therapy centre in Mumbai for kids with developmental challenges ranging from cerebral palsy to autism. Saiyam suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), which means he gets bored easily , doesn't always remember to use his left hand even though he is a leftie and his speech isn't as fast as his thoughts. Saiyam plays a series of Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2 games because gaming, Bijliwala believes, is a crucial part of changing the nervous system.  

Occupational Therapy PPT Presentation Competition.

Dear Occupational Therapist,

The Mumbai Branch of A.I.OT.A is pleased to announce the

Occupational Therapy PPT Presentation Competition.
 

Kindly note the revised registration and submission dates for OT PPT Competition.

Registration: Kindly register in form of email to bombr_aiota@yahoo.com before 16^th December ’13 with Name(s) of Participant(s). Participants are requested not to disclose their identity in the presentation. And to use ppt version/ software programme compatible with most computers.

Submission: The presentation CD in PPT format should reach Dr Shilpshree Palsule - KEMH on or before 20th December 2013.

Other Details about the Presentation Competition:

Theme: 

Occupational Therapy a Career Option.
(The presentation shall aim to introduce aspiring 
students to Occupational Therapy as a career choice.)

Content of the presentation:

Can include information about the Course eligibility criteria,
Admission process, Course description, Employment opportunities etc.

It can include text, pictures, audio, video. The presentation

should be self explanatory. The targetted viewer should 
be able to understand the content without a presenter.

Number of entries: 

Maximum 3 entries per institute (No repetition of participants.)

Individuals not attached to institutes can also submit (1 entry per person)

Duration of presentation: 

15 mins maximum.

Prize:  

The Best Presentation shall be awarded a certificate and Rs. 1000.
            1 runner up shall be awarded a certificate and Rs 500.

The selected presentations will be widely circulated at various

occassions for propagation of Occupational Therapy- as a career choice.

Due credit to the creative individual / team will be retained.

Thanks & Regards,

Dr.Shilpshree Palsule.
Convenor,
Mumbai Branch Of All India
Occupational Therapist's Association.

Occupational Therapy Vacancy

Niramay Guidance clinic is a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to help children in all areas of growth and development. The guidance clinic has three centres in Mumbai and Navi mumbai (kharghar, Vashi and chembur). The clinic has over 25 therapists and psychologists working with children and adults. The team is also supported by Psychiatrists.

 Niramay Guidance clinic invites applications from Occupational Therapists for OT post.

Contact person :  Sunita, Dr. Anjana thadhani. 

Contact No:  02225205695/ 9820304802.

 Email: tawde_sunita@yahoo.com

Paediatric Early Intervention

Act early to help your child.

Developmental problems can hinder your child’s ability to learn essential skills while growing up. Find out how early intervention is helping parents and children improve their quality of life.

Article by : Dr Namita G Shenai

Article posted On Thursday, January 28, 2010 on www.timeswellness.com

Early intervention is indeed the ‘in’ term in the field of habilitation medicine. The word habilitation medicine might be a new term for many as it is rarely used. It means to teach a skill that was never learnt while rehabilitation means to enable an individual to relearn a skill already learnt.

Research on early development has shown that ‘a window for learning begins at birth.’ The clear link between early brain activity and brain development provides the building blocks for life-long learning and function – including entering school ready to learn and families learning of local resources for current and future needs. When there is a diagnosis of a disability or developmental concern at birth, or soon thereafter, early intervention results in greater developmental gains for a child.

Early intervention consists of provision of services for neonates, infants, toddlers and their families for the purpose of lessening the effects of the condition. The Early intervention team consists of a gynaecologist, neonatologist, developmental paediatrician, paediatric occupational therapist, paediatric physiotherapist, speech therapist, nurse, medical social worker.

It focuses on the child and the family. Early intervention programs are centre-based, home-based, hospital-based, or a combination. Services range from identification--that is, hospital screening and referral services--to diagnostic and direct intervention programs. Paediatric occupational therapists working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) identify neonates at risk for developmental delay such as those who have low birth weight, preterm babies, those having birth asphyxia, jaundice, meconium aspiration (swallowing of stools), congenital anomalies, and seizure disorders. They use standardized evaluation and assessment tools to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. This is followed by intervention in the NICU followed by a detailed home program and regular follow-ups till one year of age.

There are three primary reasons for intervening early with a child:

• To enhance the child's development,
• To provide support and assistance to the family
• To maximize the child's and family's benefit to society

The cost is less when intervention is earlier, preventing developmental problems that would have required special services later in life. Timing of intervention becomes particularly important when a child runs the risk of missing an opportunity to learn during a state of maximum readiness. If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest readiness are not taken advantage of, a child may have difficulty learning a particular skill at a later time.

Early intervention helps reduce the additional stresses and frustrations families of infants and toddlers with disabilities experience, enhancing both the child and the family. Supported families need less out-of-home placement. Statistics demonstrate less abuse and neglect occurs for children receiving early intervention services.

They also have a significant impact on the parents and siblings of an exceptional infant or young child. The family of a young exceptional child often feels disappointment, social isolation, added stress, frustration, and helplessness. The compounded stress of the presence of an exceptional child may affect the family's well-being and interfere with the child's development. Parents of gifted preschoolers also need early services so that they may better provide the supportive and nourishing environment needed by the child.

The child's increased developmental and educational gains and decreased dependence upon social institutions, the family's increased ability to cope with the presence of an exceptional child, and perhaps the child's increased eligibility for employment, all provide economic as well as social benefits.

It is essential that awareness on part of the government and the medical fraternity is the need of the hour to reduce the effects of neurological deficits in later life for the future of our dear children.

The doctor is a paediatric occupational therapist at the DISHA Centre, Santacruz, Mumbai.

Pic: Doriana_s