Ashirvad History

HISTORY LIST

1. 1997

2. 2002

1997

ASHIRVAD

The Developmental Paediatrics Unit

ASHIRVAD FLOOR,  Christian Medical College & Hospital

Vellore. 62004. Tamil Nadu.

A REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF ASHIRVAD 1997

A. ASHIRVAD - A MINISTRY TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

ASHIRVAD , Christian Concern for Child Care founded in August 1985, is an expression of response and concern for children in need. Drs. MC & Anna Mathew felt called of God to “TAKE THE SIDES” of children in need in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ. The Child Development and Research Centre was started in a small room in the heart of Madras as a consultation and intervention centre for children with special needs. From then on this service has grown in several areas to its present state of being the first full-fledged Developmental Paediatric Unit in a teaching hospital in the country. ASHIRVAD is therefore a Christian concern for children who are disabled, deprived, depressed or devalued and by providing services for their well-being we affirm that every child is a gift from God.

B. THE FOCUS OF ASHIRVAD.

The focus of ASHIRVAD is to create awareness of the needs and then to “ take the sides“ of children with special needs in the community. Our emphases over the years have been to enable parents to receive their child as a gift of God focusing on ability and not disability - to equip various personnel in the developmental aspects of child care in order to provide adequate succour, support, stimulation and guidance to families of children with special needs and to extend the philosophy of ASHIRVAD of caring and sharing. One of the ways of extending the ministry of ASHIRVAD has been by initiating the formation of Early Learning Centres which are situated in the community and are child-centred and play-based. The ASHA school for special children was the first Early Learning Centre started by ASHIRVAD as a playgroup on the campus of St. Andrew”s Church. It is now a regular special school with trained staff and with facilities to care for the needs of over thirty children . As an Early Learning Centre becomes stable and able to function independently we encourage them to become autonomous in order that we can direct our energies and effort elsewhere. The ASHIRVAD Early Learning Centre at Nagpur followed suit last year and is now functioning independently. Our welfare programmes include providing assistance for education, nutritional supplements, hospitalization and various aids for therapy to children in need.

C. MOVING ON

Till May 1997 the activities of ASHIRVAD were carried out largely through its Child Development & Research Centre at Madras and the Early Learning Centre at Nagpur. Over the years the Child Development and Research Centre at Madras had evolved into a full fledged Teaching & Training Unit in Developmental Paediatrics and began seeking an affiliation with an academic institution to further the scope and content of its activities and to communicate the message of Child Development to medical personnel. The Director of the Christian Medical College & Hospital , VELLORE (CMCH) formally conveyed to the CMC Council in its January 1996 meeting, the decision of the administration to start a Developmental Paediatrics Unit and subsequently the Director , CMCH conveyed the same to the Executive trustee of ASHIRVAD and requested that ASHIRVAD enter into a partnership with CMCH in order to set up the new Unit under a mutually acceptable memorandum of understanding. This will be the first Developmental Paediatric Unit in a teaching Unit in the country and the place it will be located in is called ASHIRVAD FLOOR. It is part of the development programmes of the institution planned in connection with the centenary celebrations of Christian Medical College in 2000 AD.

The speciality of Developmental Paediatrics is a relatively new branch of Child Health in India and training departments of Developmental paediatrics do not exist in Medical colleges in India. In the light of this great need , the Board of Trustees of ASHIRVAD, in full accord with the objectives of ASHIRVAD, as stated in the Trust deed, clause 3A, sub clause F, “To enter into any contract or agreement or any other transaction for the purpose of promoting any of the objectives of the Trust ”, resolved to enter into an agreement with CMCH, Vellore to start a Developmental Paediatrics Unit at CMCH, Vellore.

In the pursuit of this resolution the following memorandum of understanding is entered into between the Board of trustees of ASHIRVAD and the administration of CMCH, Vellore.

1. The facilities , assets and equipment of the Child development and research centre, Madras will be made available to CMCH, Vellore to start the Developmental Paediatrics Unit.

2. ASHIRVAD will make some financial contributions for a building for the Unit , staff support and the special fund of the Developmental Paediatrics Unit.

The new Developmental Paediatric Unit was started on 1st March 1997 and officially dedicated to serve children with special needs in the Name & Spirit of Jesus Christ on September 22nd 1997. Over 4000 children (new & revisits ) have been seen in the new Unit in the past 25 months. Teaching and training to spread awareness and convey the message of developmental Paediatrics is an integral part of the Unit.

D. DEVELOPMENTAL PAEDIATRICS

Developmental Paediatrics is a clinical speciality which brings together the disciplines of developmental neurology, developmental physiology, developmental psychology, developmental morphology and developmental therapy. In a clinical setting we practise this by being involved in the developmental monitoring, assessment and surveillance of the neuro developmental process in children and offering assistance for their development.

E.  THE ACTIVITIES OF ASHIRVAD.

1. Developmental Paediatric and Neuro -developmental Consultation. The Development Paediatric Unit is equipped to assess & evaluate children with various neurological deficits, learning needs, impairment of speech, vision or hearing, physical disabilities and behavioural maladjustment in children. Many children come with multiple needs and are referred from several institutions and doctors from various parts of the country and neighbouring countries. 2.Developmental Assessment, Stimulation & Monitoring Developmental screening and assessment, developmental stimulation, developmental therapy and developmental monitoring of infants and children with developmental delay or disability is regularly undertaken. 3.Home based Learning Programme ParentSupport Systems and Distance Monitoring. The home-based learning programme is planned so that a parent or care-giver can continue to stimulate the child in the areas of need. Several practical systems and protocols have been evolved for assessment, home-based learning and parent support. In the case of families living far away from Vellore a distance monitoring programme has been evolved through correspondence and judging from the response we are pleased that parents are finding it extremely useful. 4. Research activities on child development Resource Development. Several need based areas of research have been undertaken in the area of early childhood learning and Disability. A major study in the last three years has been to study the pattern and prevalence of minor neurological dysfunction in pre-school children. It involved the detailed neurological, psychological, developmental and performance-level study of over 600 pre-school children from 4 schools in Madras. Efforts were made alongside the study to orient the teachers to detect and help children to overcome various minimal needs at an early stage with the hope that they will be helped before they fall back in their class. Other ongoing research studies are on children with Down’s Syndrome, Nutitional status of children with disability, Autistic Behaviour, Visual Impairment and Separation Anxiety Syndrome. Data on co-morbidity in children with disabilities, nutritional monitoring and behavioural changes in children with disabilities is also being compiled.

Thanks to the many friends of ASHIRVAD in India and overseas it has been possible to build up theresources of ASHIRVAD in the area of medical equipment like E.E.G & Evoked Potential Studies, assessment materials , a rich resource library of books and a slide library both for following up a child’s development and for teaching and training purposes. Several articles have been written in medical, family and secular journals and magazines on issues concerning the development of children. 5.Early Child hood learning programmes & Child Guidance Programmes. Working closely with some schools in the city through conducting seminars and work shops for parents and teachers a new child - friendly, play - based interactive approach of pre-school education has been evolved which has made “school” a very happy place for the 3 and 4 year olds. Attitudinal changes as to children’s learning process, correction of children and other issues in both parents and teachers have been an added benefit of these interactions. Child guidance and learning assistance were organised through periodic meetings with teachers and parents. This has now been extended to Vidhyalayam & Ida Scudder school, Vellore. Training of Care givers and Medical Personnel. This area has received a special thrust following the relocation of ASHIRVAD at the medical college and hospital at Vellore where medical personnel at all levels of their training are being introduced to Developmental Paediatrics in the course of their training. Teaching and training to spread awareness and convey the message of developmental Paediatrics is now an integral part of the Developmental Paediatric Unit. Welfare measures such as e. g Toy Bank , school fees etc.. & Aid to deprived children e. g. health care, hospitalisation grants, mobility aid setc.. Various welfare measures for children with special needs have been undertaken over the years - like sponsoring children with special needs to special schools, providing nutritional supplements like grains and milk to children who were compromised nutritionally, providing free health care and medicine to children with disability who have intercurrent illnesses, making available hospitalisation grants, providing various aids for children like wheel chairs , corner - seats and appropriate toys from the Toy Bank to improve their learning and motor skills.

F. SUPPORT.

The Friends of ASHIRVAD from India and overseas form the main support base of ASHIRVAD . Drs. MC & Anna Mathew were seconded to ASHIRVAD by Interserve since 1983. Several friends in Interserve have consistently stood by us over the years and we are grateful for their support and encouragement.

We are grateful to friends who have served on the Board of Trustees of ASHIRVAD whose guidance and counsel we have always valued and who have consistently encouraged us to push our boundaries in order to enlarge the vision of ASHIRVAD.

This report would be incomplete if we did not make special mention of our loving friends from the E.V.Schule, BERLIN, Germanyunder the able and committed leadership of Ms. Christiane Osburg and Ms. Gisella Jahner. We came to know them in the mid eighties through a common friend Pastor Evamarie Koch. Christiane was able to mobilise the enthusiastic involvement of her classes over the years to consider the needs of children less privileged than them making them feel and experience for themselves the joy of giving, sharing and caring. We are aware that each little effort taken to “ take the sides “ of children in need whether it was making gifts, toys and decorations to sell, or standing out in the cold on a white, wintry day selling things for ASHIRVAD, having services where we were remembered and prayed for , or taking the children with disability from the special school to the zoo, or feeding or washing the special children they work together with on the project - is a sign of hope and encouragement for us that people care. Christiane and Gisela have not only succeeded in convincing the children of the value of this involvement but also their parents to the extent that some of them continue their support even after the children have left school. Apart from the generous financial resources they have sent they have endeared themselves to us by their affectionate letters , concern and interest in the ministry of ASHIRVAD. We were especially supported in the initial years when this work was not well understood as people did not know that children with disability could indeed be helped.

Wmembrance those who have stood by us is a constant source of encouragement to us of the fellowship and love we share as we work together in the cause of God’s kingdom.

MC & Anna Mathew

Developmental Paediatrics Unit

ASHIRVAD FLOOR

Christian Medical College & Hospital

VELLORE. 632 004.

Tamil Nadu.

INDIA.

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The Hall of Residence is a temporary home at the Developmental Paediatrics Unit for children who seek help for their neuro-developmental needs. The parents and children stay in the Hall of Residence ordinarily for five days during which time an evaluation of the needs of the child and of the parents are made by the team in the unit. This leads to evolving a comprehensive plan for the developmental enhancement of the child and providing learning experience to the parents. This service is offered through 

• evaluating the child’s developmental needs and 
• offering developmental activation through integration of all available services.
• providing respite care for families in stress, as a result of the special needs of a child.
• helping parents to adjust to the special needs of a child.

ACTIVITIES

1.Early Learning Centre

This is a child friendly area with 5 rooms, stocked with a variety of toys. This facility offers a supervised play facility for children, guided by the nurses and the psychologists. They provide sustained developmental activation for children welcomed to the Hall of Residence as an extension to the programme offered by the Developmental Paediatrics Unit. This demonstrates to parents the optimal environment required for enhancement of the child’s developmental functions and enables them to improvise the play environment of children by using simple toys that are easy to make or readily available.

2.Sleep Monitoring

This is done in a separate room with a mini-polysomnography set up. Children with sleep related difficulties are monitored for sleep habits, patterns and behaviours. The details of day time habits are collected from parents. The child is observed during sleep time at night in the sleep monitoring room, for sleep initiation, sleep depth and any sleep cycle disturbance factors. The observations are carried out during the initial  phase by doctors and later in the night by sisters for ½ hour periods.

3.Therapy Terrace   

This is a developmental therapy area for enhancement of gross motor skills and observing child’s awareness of the environment and social skills. It has been developed for the parents to observe and appreciate the value of outdoor play engagement for their children. This is done by offering individualised play on different equipment in the terrace and joint play with other children to reinforce social play, and its related habits such as waiting for his/her turn, assisting another child during play, playing group games with parents to facilitate body movements and motor co-ordination.

4.Play  Room

The play room is an area for play where the parents can engage the child. The toys for play based activity are placed in the cupboards. The parents can choose the toys they want to use with their child. Two families can use the play room at a specified time.

 5.Nutrition Education

Parents receive instruction about different ways of feeding children with neuro-developmental needs.

6.Sleep Hygiene Practices

Most children need a regular sleep time practice to initiate easy transition to sleep. Parents receive help in modifying the home environment to alter the sleep rhythm of a child.

7.New Facility – Sensory Motor Observation Room

This is a facility for children with special needs such as hyperkinesis, developmental communication dysfunction, attention deficit, etc. This room has various visual,              auditory, sensory and motor stimuli which can be serially or concurrently offered to enhance attention, awareness and play intent. This is intended to help children to         become aware of different events in the environment and thus increase their responsiveness. This play facility will help in observing children for their play behaviour, communication process and processing skills. This facility can also help in creating a conditioning response to different  stimuli, which may be the beginning of more sustained response in some children.

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