Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Oledan: Impairments
By Radzini Oledan
Slice Of Life
THEY may be the forgotten children of our times.
Around 140 million children in developing countries are suffering from various types of disability. The 2000 census of our National Statistics Office shows that 1.23 percent or 942,098 of the 76.5 million Filipinos suffer from disability.
Ninety-nine per cent of them do not receive any trained help, much more community support. For the few, imported technology and expensive rehabilitation centers may perform miracles.
But the need now is for new ideas to work a miracle for the many.
Under the auspices of the Apo Learning Village Foundation, the Institute for Advanced Neuromotor Rehabilitation in United Kingdom will be sending their senior therapist to Davao City for two week on September to conduct training sessions for parents on the Neuro-Respiratory Theraphy or the Scotson technique.
The Scotson technique improves health condition and treats disabilities of children suffering from brain injury such as cerebral palsy, microcephaly, floppiness, developmental delay, learning disability, autism, vaccine damage, epilepsy, dyspraxia, head injury, stroke, scoliosis, neurological syndromes and even spinal injury.
The therapy works by strengthening the functions that contribute to good breathing that is important in the entire process of rehabilitation. "Differently-abled children enjoy the therapy because the technique is very gentle and does not include the manipulation of any limbs," Catherine Siapno, mother to six years old daughter Kym said.
In an effort to provide support and information to families grappling with disabilities, the Apo Learning Foundation will accommodate 36 children during the two-week stay of the British therapist in Davao City.
It is the same situation confronting Jocelyn, whose baby was a victim of Down's Syndrome. "Love" as what she dearly calls her child, was virtually a wilting head of lettuce in her mother's arms. Her body appeared boneless, she could not even hold her head up and her eyes were lifeless.
The therapy did not require institutionalization or gadgetry and her mother was shown how and where to tickle her baby to exercise the muscles. The treatment progressed through gentle kneading of the child's limbs to a daily ritual of therapeutic exercise. Soon, the child began to make steady and continued progress.
This goes to show that the key to low-cost but dramatic improvements in the lives of the majority of the disabled lies in releasing the care and support, which is latent in the family and the community.
It brings out the message that there is nothing to be ashamed of the disability and that something could be done at the early part of a child's life.
Effort should be concentrated on the earliest part of the children's lives not only because the young child is vulnerable, but also because the earlier the help the more potential there is for improvement and the less damage is done to the normal processes of child development.
These are few of the concerns on differently-abled children that are yet to be mainstreamed in the implementation of children's development program.
The continued exclusion and invisibility of these children may be a greater handicap than the impairment itself. Email comments to roledan@hotmail.com. Parents and interested individuals who want to support the program may contact the Apo Learning Village Foundation at 305-69-34 or 298-14-86.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 18, 2006 issue)
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