NEW treatments and therapies for children with special needs were the highlight of an international seminar held in the kingdom in a bid to educate parents, doctors, therapists and various organisations of the best way to help them.
Highly-qualified and experienced doctors and speakers shared their wisdom and findings in the ‘Special Smile with Sneha’ event organised by the Indian Ladies Association (ILA), at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama, with 70 parents and participants signing up for consultations and treatment.
“We’re proud and happy to share this charitable, interactive and international seminar,” said ILA honorary president Shipra Dhir Passi.
“Many parents showed interest in taking up treatments and free consultation online with registrations from parents, doctors, therapists and volunteers on the island, including from Sneha Recreation Centre parents, co-ordinators and volunteers.
“The session proved to be very beneficial according to the feedback we have already received and the event has given added hope to parents.”
The keynote speakers at the seminar included Dr Alok Sharma and Dr Shruti Kamath from India.
Dr Alok is the director of NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, professor and head of department of neurosurgery, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College and consultant neurosurgeon at Fortis hospital, Mumbai.
He has more than 25 years of experience in his field and has won several awards and recognitions as well. He shared the innovative stem cell and treatment protocols for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, learning disorders, intellectual disability and muscular dystrophy.
Dr Sharma also offered people free online consultations and treatment for genuine cases accompanied by a letter of support from the ILA.
Dr Kamath, an occupational therapist with eight years of experience in India and abroad, gave a detailed overview of a neuro-rehabilitation centre where children receive a combination of cellular therapies.
She also emphasised the role of other therapies such as aquatic therapy, play therapy, physiotherapy, art therapy, dance therapy and speech therapy options. She recently won the ‘Best Young Fellowship Award’ at the Asian Oceanic Congress of Neuro-rehabilitation in 2021 and co-authored ‘Stem Cell Therapy and Neuro-rehabilitation in Paediatric Neurological Disorders’, as well as parental guide books.
Ms Passi added that the organisation was grateful to the Royal Bahrain Hospital for its support and sponsorship of the event. Parents, particularly of children from the Sneha Recreation Centre, found the speakers’ question-and-answer sessions, as well as case-to-case consultations, ‘helpful’.
Sneha, the flagship project of ILA that was launched in 1987 with just four members, is a free recreation centre for special needs children of all nationalities. It was the only such facility operating online even during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
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