General OPD Timing:
“Precious Gems School”
The department of Developmental Paediatrics was started within the Department of Paediatrics in July 2014 in response to recent major advances in this important area of Paediatrics, and also due to lack of services for children with developmental disabilities in Nagaland.
Developmental disability deals with any one of a number of conditions that emerge during developmental periods in childhood which significantly impacts a child’s physical, cognitive, or behavioral health. A developmental disability is present at birth or develops before the age of 18 years, affecting a child’s ability to learn or function optimally. The severity of the problem may vary from mild to severe, and is most often permanent.
The main focus of the division is to make clinical diagnosis of childhood developmental disorders as well as charting out intervention programs.
Diagnoses commonly include:
- Intellectual Disability
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Specific learning disability
- Cerebral palsy
- Seizure disorder etc.
- Diagnostic clinic
- Parental counselling
- Special school (Precious Gems Special School)
- Workshops for regular school teachers
- Workshops for parents
- Sibling therapy
The intervention for developmental disabilities involves a team of specialists in different disciplines, who are available in CIHSR under one roof. In addition, the parents and the family members of children with disabilities get hands on experience in managing their children.
“Precious Gems School”was started on 1st March, 2016 in order to train children with developmental disabilities along with their parents. In this course, children with developmental disabilities undergo 3 months of training, in which their parent(s) are also trained to understand the unique needs of their child and how to meet them. Special classes are also held for the parents of these children in order to help them understand their child better.
A multidisciplinary team approach is employed, in which the team includes psychologists, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, nurses and social workers.