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Name of the Project : Hydro Therapy Facility for Special Children
Introduction
Childhood is the phase of growth and development in human beings between infancy and adulthood. It is the most precious period in every one's life. More than one third of India's population is below the age of 18 years and approximately 40% of the Indian Population is children, making India the country with the highest number of child population in the world, around 440 million.
Cases of Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Mental Retardation (MR), Specific Developmental Disorders of Scholastic Skills, Pervasive Developmental Delay, , Behavioral problems and so on are found in all the societies of the world. Globally, the prevalence of childhood disorder is estimated to be 30 per thousand. Almost 75% of the population diagnosed to have mild form of childhood disorders, while the remaining 25% have either moderate or severe form of childhood disorders.
According to the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), in 1991, out of 1000 children in the rural areas, 31 had some developmental delays, whereas in urban areas 9 out of every 1000 children were developmentally delayed. The survey was conducted on children within the age group of 0-14 years (Status of Disability in India-2000, RCI).
World Health Organization estimates that 10% of the world's population has some form of mental disability and 1% suffers from severe incapacitating mental disorders (WHO 1989). Community-based surveys conducted during the past two decades in India showed that the total prevalence of psychiatric disorder was around 5.8%. (Reddy & Chandrasekhar Indian J. Psychiatry 1998).
Who will be Benefited ?
The hydrotherapy unit is open to all children undergoing rehabilitation in 30 special schools in Trichy and other special children of community based rehabilitation programme.
APPEAL :
Athma Special School is having two acres of land which is donated by a philanthropist. In that we have 15,000 sq.ft. of school building and 2000 sq.ft for open play area with sufficient play things.
We have planned the proposed a hydro therapy unit according to the guidelines given by specialists in the field. The basic budget works 28 Lakhs, which cannot be accomplished by individuals.
Only noble minded people can help us to make our aim a reality where special children neglected by society at large & suffering parents can find a solace.
Partner Organisation : ATHMA Education and Research Foundation (ARF)
is a non-profitable trust registered under Trust Act. ARF has been started to cater to the psychosocial needs of mentally challenged children in Tiruchirappalli region. There are many special children from the poor neighborhood who needed our care and there are no special schools for these children in rural areas. For this reason ARF has started ATHMA Special School in progress with 14 intellectually impaired children in the year 2009.
Children attending the special school are mostly from poor among the poor families. Many were not getting adequate attention to their problems from the family because of the ignorance of the parents and not able to afford special education. They are usually mild to severe affected children. However, the children show remarkable improvement in all aspects after started attending the ATHMA special school.
We have classified our students according to the nature of their mental retardation like mild/moderate/severe mental retardation, Specific learning disability, Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy, Autism, ADHD etc. and also on the basis of the progress achieved in attending to daily routine activities, etiquettes, conversation, group compatibility etc. We have further classified them according to their requirements of special case/need like speech problem, language problem, therapy, meningitis etc.
With the vision of providing dignified life and supportive environment for the mentally challenged children ATHMA is moving forward with dedication, determination and commitment to serve the needy children.
Breakup for the Project Cost
Particulars INR US$
Civil work 21,70,000 31,000
Equipments 6,41,920 9,170
Total 28,11,920 40,170
Hydro Therapy
Defination
Hydrotherapy is a therapeutic whole-body tharapy that involves moving and exercising in water, essentially physiotherapy in a pool. Why Hydro Therapy
Evidence shows the use of water for therapy has been around for hundreds of years, as far back as 4500 B.C. and forms an integral part in many traditional medicine systems. This involves the use of cold, ice, hot, or steam water to relieve pain and promote physical well-being. The vital element of an ancient Roman culture was the bathhouses.
How it works
Hydrotherapy works on the healing properties of its thermal and/or mechanical effects. Hydrotherapy makes use of the body's reaction to the pressure exerted by the water, to hot and cold stimuli, to the sensation of the water itself, to the protracted application of heat.
Nerves help the sensation of the skin deeper into the body, it is then vital in stimulating the immune system, improving circulation and digestion, reduces the production of stress hormones, lessening the body's sensitivity to pain and encouraging the flow of blood.
How it works for the Special Children
Hydro therapy is one of the best environments for a child with special needs to improve physical functioning, especially if the child is not ambulatory. Although traditional physical therapy can be immensely effective in teaching children with Cerebral Palsy how to move, water has the added benefit of hydrating, oxygenating, and revitalizing the body's musculoskeletal system. The hydrostatic pressure of the water provides a blanket of deep pressure to the child's largest organ the skin.
Unique properties of the water allow children to work on developmental skills such as crawling, walking, rolling and jumping. Motor planning, self-regulation, speech, oral motor control, strength and coordination are just a few areas that are likely to improve as a result of therapy in the water.
Range of movement increases with repetition, stretching and balancing is more sustainable. More than 50% of body weight is water. Gravity and body weight affects the way the body moves.
Hydro therapy presents a near complete reversal of these. Water reduces a human's body weight by 90 percent, allowing children and adults to ambulate freely in a way that does not place undue stress on the musculoskeletal system from forces such as gravity and body weight.
Benefits
It helps children to
Improve Muscle Tone
Core Strength
Enhance Blood Circulation
Improve Cardiovascular Functioning
Improve Flexibility and
Reduce Muscle Spasticity
It is the most precious period in every one's life. More than one third of India's population is below the age of 18 years and approximately 40% of the Indian Population is children, making India the country with the highest number of child population in the world, around 440 million.
A Research for Hydrotherapy for Children with Autism
There is more research supporting the goodness of water and exercise for calming behaviors and improving social skills in children with Autism. Mortimer, Rachel & Privopoulos, Melinda & Kumar, Saravana. (2014). The effectiveness of hydrotherapy in the treatment of social and behavioral aspects of children with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare. 7. 93-104. 10.2147/ JMDH.S55345.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are increasing in prevalence. Children with ASDs present with impairments in social interactions; communication; restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; as well as motor delays. Hydrotherapy is used as a treatment for children with disabilities and motor delays. There have been no systematic reviews conducted on the effectiveness of hydrotherapy in children with ASDs.
We aimed to examine the effectiveness of hydrotherapy on social interactions and behaviors in the treatment of children with ASDs.
A systematic search of Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE®, and Academic Search Premier was conducted. Studies of participants, aged 3-18 years, with ASDs at a high-functioning level were included if they utilized outcome measures assessing social interactions and behaviors through questionnaire or observation.
A critical appraisal, using the McMaster Critical Review Form for Quantitative Studies, was performed to assess methodological quality. Four studies of varying research design and quality met the inclusion criteria. The participants in these studies were aged between 3-12 years of age. The duration of the intervention ranged from 10-14 weeks, and each study used varied measures of outcome. Overall, all the studies showed some improvements in social interactions or behaviors following a Halliwick-based hydrotherapy intervention.
Few studies have investigated the effect of hydrotherapy on the social interactions and behaviors of children with ASDs. While there is an increasing body of evidence for hydrotherapy for children with ASDs, this is constrained by small sample size, lack of comparator, crude sampling methods, and the lack of standardized outcome measures. Hydrotherapy shows potential as a treatment method for social interactions and behaviors in children with ASDs.
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