About the Problem

Mental retardation & other diabilities: Mental retardation is a form of diability that results in development delay, difficulties in coping with regular work and social skills.

Mental retardation can occur due to following reasons:

• Due to metarnal, medical care, family history factors.
• Due to deficiencies in pre-natal care.
• Due to deficiencies in offering proper medical support for high risk babies who suffer severe medical dis-orders during infacny.
• Presence of high floride content is water will lead to various deformities

Due to presence of higher floride contents in drinking water in the district of Nalgonda district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Sadhana selected to focus on Bhongir division(which has 14 mandals) which is one of the most affected areas on the district.

Sadhana is working for the cause of this "Special Community" who are less fortunate for no fault of themselves. In many occassions these people who require special care are being disowned by their familities and society(to some extent).

Approaches to address mental retardation are:

1) Primary prevention: Counselling pregnant women, so that proper care is taken during pregancy time.

2) Secondary prevention: Early intervention for high risk babies, who suffer severe medical dis-orders during infancy. Parent counselling to initiate appropriate action in such cases.

3) Tertiary prevention: Includes efforts designed to reduce the effects of any existing disability and improve a person's quality of life such as:

Training & rehabilitation of retarded persons emphasizing on social skills, behavior modificaton & vocational training.

Teaching "daily living" skills and

Giving shelter with emphasis on dignity and quality of life.

The approach needs to be customization based of level of retardation.

Current Approach: SADHANA is adopting teritiary approach, since this can have immediate impact on the suffering of target group. This is done through "Day Care centre/school" & Vocation training centre at Hubsiguda, Hyderabad, India and Rehabilitation centre at Valigonda Mandal, Nalgonda district(around 55 Kms from Hyderabad, India. The support offered by SADHAN includes :

• Training/Teaching on self-help skills, social skills and behavioral aspects/modifiations for mentally challenged children.
• Speech therapy & physio-theraphy.
• Teaching daily living skills.
• Giving shelter for mentally challenged thru Rehabilitation centre at Valigonda and residential accomodation at Day school, Hubsiguda(to those who are abandoned & dis-owned by their families).
• Running a special residential school for the 'hearing impaired' at Valigonda.

Sadhana has also plans to undertake Primary & Secondary prevention appraches through following modes:

1) Counselling of pregnant women and parents about the primary prevention options and secondary prevention(early intervention for high risk babies)

2) By organising Awareness Campaigns thru Primary Health Centres and ANMs at various villages, initially in the 14 mandals of Bhongir division where the problem is more acute due to contamination of ground water with high floride content.