C/27-28 Dayanand Colony, Lajpatnagar - 4, New Delhi 110024, INDIA; Tel. +91-11-41631140 and +91-11-41621137
Recognized and partially aided by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment,
Govt. of India, as a
Project for Education and Training of Severely MH Children
Main activity center of
Foundation for Spastic & Mentally Handicapped
Persons
Regd. Address: 61 Deshbandhu Apartments; Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019; INDIA
E-mail:
Internet site: www.udaan.org
Phone: +91-11-26446978; Cell: +91-9811157839
Last updated June 26, 2010
There are more than a million disabled persons
in India, a significant proportion of them having various forms of
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.
One of the most crippling among these disabilities is Cerebral Palsy
(CP). Current view point suggests that many cases of CP may be due to a
wide variety of ante-natal causes, besides a significant percentage due to
ischemic damage to the developing brain of the fetus before, during or
soon after delivery. Such children develop blood flow abnormalities due to
trauma, disease of other defects. (For an
updated detail, click here.)
There are few centers in India, dedicated to helping disabled persons. Most of
them cater to mild cases, who can move about on their own, take care of their
basic necessities, and can go to the toilet when they need to. There are
extremely few centers that serve persons with moderate to severe disability,
since they require a lot of logistic support. Such persons need someone to feed,
clean, move and take them to the toilet and wash their parts afterwards,
including washing their soiled undergarments if they lack control over their
bladder and bowels.
Background
Cerebral Palsy and Mental Retardation are often the result of injury or
developmental defects in the brain before, during or soon after birth. They may
result in reduced brain blood perfusion to selected areas, which fail to develop
properly, leading to dysfunction of the related areas of body. Cerebral Palsy is
the final result to damage to muscle controlling areas while Mental Retardation
results from injury to intellectual areas of brain. They sometimes co-exist.
There are many centers for management of mental retardation since the
children have a normal body, can take care of their daily needs, obey commands,
see, speak and communicate. However, cerebral palsy (CP) is difficult to manage
if moderate to severe, because these children do not have voluntary command over
their limbs, speech, sight, communication skills and control over bladder and
bowel functions. They are virtually lifelong dependent on others for help, even
if they are wheel chair bound and somewhat mobile.
Due to the high logistic support required by them, there are very few centers
active in the management of CP.
There are even fewer centers worldwide for intervention therapy of such children
at the early stages of life (age of 0-4 years) before the damaged areas of brain
have degenerated beyond recovery (Leukodystrophy). As the saying goes, a stitch
in time saves nine. Goto top
FOUNDATION FOR SPASTIC AND MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS
FSMHP is an NGO and the fulfillment of a 15-year dream by Mrs. Shubhra Mukherjee
of Kalkaji, New Delhi, to start a center for the therapy and management of
children with moderate to severe Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, using all
Standard Therapy plus many latest medical techniques, some of them for the first
time in India (Multimode Therapy of CP (2001) and Autism (2006): two unique concepts started by FSMHP for the
first time in the world).
FSMHP is a registered Trust, audited regularly by chartered accountants, and
registered with Income Tax Dept. It has received its I.T. PAN and exemption
under section 80G.
It is registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, to receive
donations/contributions in foreign currency under FCRA. Goto top
UDAAN for the Differently Abled
The main activity center of FSMHP for treating, training and educating small
children with various Neurodevelopmental Disabilities like Cerebral Palsy,
Mental Retardation, Autism and Down Syndrome, is called UDAAN, at C/27-28 Dayanand Colony, Lajpatnagar - 4, New Delhi
This center also manages cases of Autism and CP on an OPD basis, and
to provide Multimode early Medical intervention Therapies including mHBAT, for
small children with CP and Autism.
UDAAN is a Hindi word, meaning Flight (of Freedom) to symbolize our efforts
to free the spirit of freedom in the heart of every child. UDAAN provides
intensive Special Education, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Arts &
Crafts to more than 40 special need children.
In March 2000, the Government of India, Min. of Social Justice &
Empowerment, recognized UDAAN as a Project for Education and Training of
Severely Multiple Handicapped Children, giving us grant in aid to encourage our
activities and to meet some of our expenses in running the project. Goto top
The Out Patient Department Section / INDIRA Project
In 2000, we suggested the idea of starting Multimode Therapy in the UDAAN
website. We suggested that since CP is a multi-pathology multifaceted disorder,
hence no one method of therapy would give optimum benefit. The Standard
Pediatric Therapy comprising of Occupational Therapy + Special Education +
Speech Therapy may be the gold standard for managing such cases, but they do not
address the root cause of brain damage. A lot of Indian and foreign
correspondence later, the idea crystallized further (See Hypothesis lower down),
to add Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Botox or Phenol Nerve Block, Acupuncture and
Unani Neuro-restorative drugs to intensive standard therapy with daily half hour
sessions of passive exercise, active exercise, special education and speech
therapy. It was also suggested that these interventions are best carried out
before the age of 5 years, after which oxygen-starved brain cells undergo
significant and irreversible damage from the core of the ischemic area, outward
(Leukodystrophy).
In October 2000, May 2001 and December 2001, public workshops have been held
to explain the modalities of Multimode therapy, and the benefits observed at our
center using these modalities. By now, we have managed more than three-dozen
children with significantly greater degree of improvement than anything seen so
far with standard therapies as practiced in all other institutions, including
ours before we ventured into Multimode Therapy. We are now recording the
progress of the children receiving Multimode Therapy on video for future records
and guidance. This is in line with our aim of ensuring the “UDAAN” of the
Spirit of Freedom in the heart of every special need child as depicted in our
logo. Goto top
UDAAN Multimode Early Medical Intervention Therapy Project for Cerebral
Palsy:
The Hypothesis
Cerebral Palsy is the consequence of ischemic degeneration in selected
muscle controlling nerve cells in brain, as a result of which their outgoing
nerve fibers also degenerate. The damaged area is surrounded by normal areas
with normal oxygen supply, some of which leaks into the ischemic area to just
keep it alive, but not enough to make it functional: hence the disability.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy increases brain oxygen delivery by 10 fold, so that
the normal areas around the damaged area, after satisfying their need, allow
more than enough oxygen into the dormant or stunned areas. This reduces local
tissue edema, increases new capillary growth, and possibly stimulates Stem cells
present to make new nerve cells and connections.
After HBOT, children with intractable muscle spasm are given Botox / Phenol
Nerve Block to enable straitening of the limb. Thereafter, supportive splints
and intensive exercises to the weak counterpart muscles are given to strengthen
them, so that they may be able to keep the limb straight even when the effects
of nerve block wear off in 4 to 12 months.
The revived nerve cells induce recovery, regeneration and re-connections of
their outgoing nerve fibers over the next 4 (same time period that nerves
blocked by Botox / Phenol take to recover and regenerate).
Thereafter, the revived brain cells are like the brain of a new born child,
that has never been used. Hence, it has to be taught everything from scratch.
Think of it as a Computer whose Hard Disk has crashed. We put in a new hard
disk, but still the computer will not work. It needs installation (teaching) of
an operating system., then the software, then the programmer to set the
preferences, then the data, AND THEN it will work. The time required to start
that in case of the brain is the 3rd to 4th month onward.
We provide Acupuncture during this "learning" period to enhance nerve
fiber recovery.
We may provide computer assisted Biofeedback to train redundant normal brain
cells (we have about 1,000,000,000,000 inactive redundant brain cells) to take
over the function of damaged brain cells. However, this needs an intellect level
of at least a 4 year child.
We also include Unani Neuro-restorative drugs enhance metabolic activity of the
recovery brain cells. Goto top
UDAAN Multimode Early Medical Intervention Therapy Project for Autism:
The Hypothesis
FSMHP desires to help children with advanced brain damage causing cerebral palsy
or similar disorders, using latest medical advances, to achieve an all-round
improvement and self-sufficiency to ensure the UDAAN of their spirit of
Freedom. Goto top
Goal and Objective
FSMHP will provide intensive Standard Therapy of Neurodevelopmental
Disabilities like Cerebral Palsy, Mental retardation, Autism and Down
Syndrome, all under one roof
FSMHP shall pioneer the combined use (Multimode Therapy) using Occupational and Physiotherapy,
Special Education, Speech Therapy, Hyperbaric
Oxygen Therapy (HBOT at 1.5 ATA in 100% Oxygen and 1.3 ATA using normal
air), Acupuncture, Unani/Ayurvedic Neuro-protective drugs, Nerve Block,
Pulsed Magnetic Field Therapy, etc. We
wish to work in close association with like-minded specialists from premier
Medical Institutions (Apollo Hospital, Hamdard University, St. Stephens Hospital, etc.) for achieving the best results with
safety.
Train the special need children to be able to become self sufficient, to
be able to carry out all their basic necessities.
Enhance FSMHP OPD project into a Institute for Neurodevelopmental
Disabilities Interventional Research Activities (INDIRA)
for advanced therapy of CP and Autism and for training in
Multimode Early Medical Intervention Therapy for Cerebral Palsy and other
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities to benefit more children.
Use our Internet website, udaan.org, to make Multimode Therapy known,
accepted and available, worldwide.
FSMHP has acquired over 10 years of experience in helping special need
children to improve their independence and quality of life, with more than
60 such children being helped now a days.
FSMHP has qualified technical staff such as Special Educators,
Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists, Acupuncturist,
and a large pool of trained helper staff, to provide Multimode Therapy for
CP/MR.
Many experts in Experimental Therapies, belonging to various Prestigious
Institutions, provide free help to FSMHP in the interests of Science and out
of concern for these severely handicapped children.
FSMHP is registered with Income Tax Dept. and has been given PAN and IT
Exemption U/s. 80G.
FSMHP-UDAAN is recognized by The Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment, Govt. of India, with occasional (we mean it: occasional) grants
to manage a part of our expenses. It is also registered with the National
Trust for helping children with Cerebral palsy, Mental Retardation and
Autism.
UDAAN web site is listed under the UN and SAARC List of Organizations for
the Disabled, and is indexed by all major Internet search Engines, and is a
frequent stop-over for parents of special need children from all over the
world, as per letters received regularly from them.
FSMHP has acquired its own Hyperbaric Chamber, operating at 1.3 ATA. It
is the first and only dedicated CP management center in India, to have its own Hyperbaric Chamber in
addition to all necessary departments that go to make up the Multimode
Therapy Team.
We are receiving active help, guidance and support from Apollo Hospital (25%
subsidy on HBOT Therapy and 50-% subsidy on Biofeedback), Hamdard University (Research project on Unani Neuro-restorative
Therapy a UDAAN, approved and aided by Min. of Health, Govt. of India during the
2003), and the expertise of the full complement of trained and qualified staff
of FSMHP-UDAAN.
The Hyperbaric Chamber was donated to FSMHP-UDAAN by M/s.
Oxy Health Corporation of USA to help UDAAN carry out its noble mission of
helping small children with CP.
UDAAN employs a full complement of trained Technical staff and experienced
helper Staff to provide Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Special Education,
Speech Therapy, Acupuncture and Arts & Crafts.
Medical Specialists in Medicine, Pediatrics, ENT, EYE, Gynecology, Neurology,
Orthopedics and Rehabilitation are on our panel of experts and provide priority
medical service to children referred by UDAAN, either free or on concession. Goto top
Resource Options
A portion of the running expenses of UDAAN is being met by the Government
grants.
We have received significant corporate help from the Jeevan Channan Charitable
Trust, Mr. A Mathur (an NRI), Ms. Kamala Biswas, Mr. Nilanjan Bhowal, Belgian
Business Association, M/s. Seagram Ltd., M/s. Larsen & Toubro, M/s. Punjsons,
M/s. Bharat Petroleum, Dr. A Mukherjee, Mitali Ladies Club, SBI Ladies Club, The
Australia and New Zealand Association (New Delhi), and many large and small
private donors and business institutions.
We need more resources to popularize the Multimode Therapy concept in order
to provide the best therapeutic option to the lakhs of Neurodevelopmentally-disabled
children of India.
Why don't you also become a part of our team to help
these, the most disabled among the disabled?
We seek your assistance for the following, to
enlarge our services to disabled children:
Sponsorship full Multimode Therapy for a child (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsorship of 40 sessions of HBOT (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsor SPECT Scan for one child (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsor Standard Therapy for a child for 8 months (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsor Standard Therapy for a child for 1 month (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsor 60 sessions of Acupuncture for a child (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Sponsor a child at UDAAN School: Rs.2300/month
Donate your old multimedia equipment for our field use, whenever you
decide to upgrade to the next generation equipment. Items may include a
multimedia laptop (need not be too Hi Fi) or video projector (need not be
too Hi Fi)
Sponsor Therapy Equipment (Ask at UDAAN for details)
Help in any other way that you desire
Donation of any amount, in name of
"FSMHP", to avail of Income Tax Exemption U/s. 80G
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