Inauguration of ‘Chetna’: Early Intervention Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disability

‘Chetna’ an Early Intervention Centre (EIC) was inaugurated at the Department of Pediatrics, INHS Asvini, on 27 September 2021 by Mrs Kala Hari Kumar, President, Navy Wives’ Welfare Association (Western Region) in the presence of Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, FOCINC, WNC. Neurodevelopmental disability is a common problem in child health, occurring in approximately 10% of child population, and even more among “at risk” children discharged from Sick Newborn Care units. Often, defects or delays in development are noted when they manifest as functional disabilities or at the time of school admission. Chetna aims at early (before the age of two years) detection of defects such as developmental malformations, cerebral palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, learning disability, etc, and minimizing their impact through multi- modality intervention in children under six years of age, before they attend creches or schools. These interventions aim at making affected children achieve their maximum potential and promoting their early integration into the mainstream. The plasticity of the developing brain at the childhood stage makes it possible to bring about the expected changes. If a child misses an early rectification opportunity, learning at a later stage could be slow or inadequate. All services required by infants and toddlers at the risk of developmental delays will be provided under one roof at Chetna, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, assessment and counselling by psychologists and clinical consultation by Pediatricians.