DIWALI WITH OUR SPECIAL CHILDREN WITH EXTRAORDINARY SKILLS!

Transpact is associated with POSAT for three years now. Located amidst the western suburbs of Mumbai, POSAT (Physio Occupational Speech Academy of Therapist) is the brainchild of Dr Chhabria. He always wished to keep POSAT’s rehabilitation professionals at par with their western counterparts and that too in an era where internet and google were unheard of. With this vision, POSAT was founded in 1978 to offer a common platform for rehabilitation professionals to share their knowledge and complement each other in the treatment of the patients.

POSAT runs educational classes for special children at Rustomjee International School, Dahisar(west ) and S.V.P. School in Kandivali(west).At present 120 children are enrolled in these special classes receiving all the facilities that a normal school would provide. The children studying in POSAT suffer various disabilities and dysfunctions namely Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Impairment, Learning Problems, Hyperactivity and so on.

Diwali is one of the main festivals in our country, India. Every nook and corner of the houses, shops and offices are decorated with lamps, flowers and other ornamental items. When we talk about these decorative Diwali items, our little POSATIAN munchkins weren’t far to make our Diwali shine. These children hold exceptional skills in making different and colourful Torans (Hangings for walls), beautiful Floating Candles , Acrylic Rangolis, Envelopes with unique design work, Malas for pictures or posters and Diya’s. These ornamental articles are a beautiful manifestation of their hard work and effort to transcend the impact of disability on their lives.

Here are some pictures from their collection of decorative items.

Vestibulator: A new generation , programmable and digital therapeutic device designed for the treatment of Cerebral Palsy , Autism , ADHD , Learning Disabilities and more .

“I never dreamt of walking with my Son, neither has he thought of living a day without me” a mother of a 22-year-old son, Mrs Gracy Jerald said about her son who is suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Such is the grief of many more mothers across the world who suffer a complex of emotions such as sadness, denial, blame, fear and confusion on having a child with a special need. It is often said, “No language can express the power, beauty & heroism of a mother’s love (E. Chapin)”. Being a mother is a difficult journey and parenting is its major focus. Having a Child with Special Needs makes this journey more difficult & challenging. Being a special need parent requires a bit more of everything i.e patience, love, empathy, compassion, resourcefulness, finances and energy. Above all the special need moms are true warriors, they fight all the odds & situations life puts in front of them and they never give up. The tiniest development in the child’s medical condition or even half-spoken words of the child or just a hug from the child feels like a gift to her. All she wishes to see and hopes that her child becomes a successful adult in his/her life and can take care of themselves.

According to the World report on disability, 2011 One billion people or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. One-fifth of the estimated global total of between 110 million and 190 million people experience significant disabilities. In India, the population with disabilities is around 26.8 million, constituting 2.21% of India’s total population if one goes by the 2011 population census data. 

Despite constituting such a significant proportion of the total population, people with disabilities live a very challenging life. Their ‘disability’ is often seen as their ‘inability’ by many and people, in general, have preconceived notions about their capabilities. Barriers to full social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities include inaccessible physical environments and transportation, the unavailability of assistive devices and technologies, non-adapted means of communication, gaps in service delivery, and discriminatory prejudice and stigma in society (worldbank.org). However, it's the more difficult scenario for those who are physically or mentally disabled and burdened with poverty and excluded from mainstream society. It results in a huge impact on the global economy and a higher risk of increase of poverty, unemployment and less education.

“Special is the word they use when they talk about me
They assume that my diagnosis fully defines me
Sometimes I wish I could only be heard and not seen
That’s what I often think about when I daydream”

D.T. Brunner.

The Pain:

Vestibular dysfunction is associated with the largest spectrum of the human population. According to CDC report 2011, approximately 170 million children live with developmental disabilities related to Vestibular dysfunction. Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions resulting from impairments that affect a child's physical, learning, or behavioural functioning. Affected children typically have sensory impairments (hearing and vision loss), epilepsy or seizures, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, or other learning disorders.

Children with developmental delays and disabilities are at greater risk of suboptimal health, educational attainment, and wellbeing than are children without such disabilities. CDC estimates an increase in the prevalence of Autism by 15% to 1 in 59 children and 4 in 1000 live births suffer Cerebral Palsy. Also, cases with ADHD and learning disabilities are also increasing alarmingly. Nearly 9.4% of children 2-17 years of age (6.1 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to parent report in 2016. In addition to this 40% of adults above 40 years of age have some sort Vestibular dysfunction issue due to ageing leading to dizziness & balance issues, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), USA 2004.

Current Treatment Methods & its Lacuna:

Vestibular stimulation/ therapy is an integral part of the treatment for the Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, other neuro-developmental & balancing disorders. Treatment methods used for vestibular rehabilitation globally along with Medical Management are Acupuncture, Aquatic physical therapy, hippotherapy and conventional Physio & occupational therapy. Assistive tools used for exercises are physioball, balance board, scooter, swings etc. These assistive tools and devices have a great limitation of space, speed and frequency of stimulation; they do not even provide all the positions and postures required for complete stimulation. There is no device to record the line of treatment. The treatment plan depends upon the qualitative judgment of the therapist.

The Solution:

A new generation, programmable and digital therapeutic device– Vestibulator: An innovation evolved from IIT-Bombay suiting the guidelines of “Make in India” Initiative.

Vestibulator is an automated, dosimetric and ergonomically designed device which is useful for vestibular, neurodevelopmental and sensory integration therapy required for treatment of Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, ADHD, and various Vestibular dysfunctions.

It is a comprehensive device which provides stimulations to the vestibular system against gravity in all the three planes of motions viz vertical, sliding, tilts- lateral, antero-lateral and linear and rotatory motion as well. Vestibular stimulations can be given in all matrices of motions & postures at variable speed, frequency, angle & time duration with predetermined maximum & minimum attributes to all motions.

Recording, Communication and Storage of data and are very essential features of the cloud-based -Vestibulator. Therapy Management, Pathology Grading along with safety and accuracy are the other features integrated with this device. 

It enhances recovery, saves time, space and cost of the treatment. Improvement in balance & postural controls, concentration and independence in activities of daily living and increased interactive behaviour are proven results of the clinical study with Cerebral Palsy Children using Vestibulator. 

This CE-certified device is co-patented by Transpact Enterprises and IIT Bombay and has received clearance from CDSCO, India. 

The other upcoming rehabilitation healthcare products of the company in the developmental stages namely -Balance-o-meter and Mechanomyography device shall benefit healthcare professionals in clinical decision-making and real-time accurate record-keeping.

About the Company:

Transpact Enterprises Ltd, a SINE-IIT Bombay Incubated Med-Tech startup. It was conceived by a group of a technocrat, an artist and an academician, as a social enterprise in the year 2013 with a vision to impact the lives of people through continuous technological interventions and innovations. The company specializes in design, development, manufacturing, and distribution of therapeutic devices and rehabilitations services with analytics and management software system. 

The Skoch Order- of- Merit (2019) recognizes Transpact as one of the top 200 MSME’s in the Country. Its Uniqueness was acknowledged by Bombay Management Association in 2017 and the company was bestowed upon the “Emerging Start-up “Award. Transpact was honoured with the “Zee 24 Taas, Young Innovator Award” in the august presence of Hon. Governor and Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra in the medical-pharmacy category in the year 2017.

Transpact's Successful Listing On The Bombay Stock Exchange Platform

Mumbai- based Transpact Enterprises Limited (TEL), incubated at SINE, IIT BOMBAY and CIIE,IIM Ahmedabad ,an ISO 13485-2016 and ISO 9001-2015 certified Start-up, listed its Equity Shares on September 5, 2019, on the Startup Platform of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), making it a benchmark of becoming the 1st Startup listed on the newly launched BSE Startup Platform.

Transpact Enterprises Limited had opened its maiden IPO on August 26, 2019, with an issue size of 104,000 equity shares of Rs. 10 each for cash at a fixed price of Rs 130 per Equity Share. The IPO gets fully subscribed on Day 3. The net issue constituted 25.34% of the post-issue paid-up capital of the company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the IPO offering primarily to acquire R&D facility and setting up a Registered Office on a long term basis, conduct further clinical studies for new disorders; redemption of preferential shares and general working capital. The IPO was Lead Managed by Aryaman Financial Services Limited. 

The company’s product complies with CE marking, the essential requirements of health, safety and environmental protection legislation. Vestibulator is Transpact’s forerunner innovative solution for rehabilitation health care which provides vestibular stimulation required for neuro-developmental, sensory integration and vestibular therapy. Transpact Enterprises Ltd, Med-Tech startup Company, makes a product under the brand name of Vestibulator for Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disabilities and Vertigo patients. The CE-Certified medical device is built based on IP from IIT Bombay co-patented with Transpact Enterprises and has received clearance from CDSCO, India. The first commercial Vestibulator is installed and demonstrating significant results at Rehabilitation centre of POSAT Foundation, Mumbai. 

The vestibulator has several matrices and postures. It provides stimulations in all three planes of motions in crawling, kneeling, long sitting and chair sitting positions."The Vestibulator is installed with a digital healthcare solution based on Internet of Things (IoT) to publish the clinical data to Azure Cloud for patient data analytics. `The Vestibulator provides specific and definitive stimulations yielding faster and qualitative results which enhances the course of treatment and recovery of Cerebral Palsy, Autistic, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disabilities patients. 

The company partners with the Industrial Research and Consultancy Center (IRCC), IIT Bombay for continuous product innovation and Octaware Technologies, an SEI-CMMI Level 3 certified software development company to build its digital healthcare solution.

Game On!! Video game therapy for Cerebral Palsy

When the child is having any disorder, the parents want to try every possible thing to treat her. Cerebral palsy has become one of the most common physical disabilities now-a-days affecting 17 million people worldwide. Many children have orthotic devices that help them walk; some even undergo surgery to lengthen and loosen tight muscles, or to correct spine deformities. Most likely, people have physical therapy, some children also will need occupational therapy, recreational therapy and speech therapy. Many children with CP have intellectual disabilities in addition to speech impediments, so they need more hours of therapy which makes the therapy hectic for kids and parents and will increase the cost of therapy. 

Today’s young generation has at least one gaming console at home maybe it’s Microsoft, X-box, PlayStation etc. But why do they have it? Why do they play it? They may probably play it for fun or it may be the means of time pass. But have you ever thought if gaming could have a different purpose? What if it was not about high scores but was more about participation? What if we could play such games to improve our health and physical ability? According to research, video games have been used for children with CP since the late 1990s and have been shown to increase motivation. It has been the source of entertainment for children. It helps the child with CP to gain more mobility. To keep children engaged in therapy computer games was incorporated in therapy in which a range of learning elements with interactive cognitive challenges help children to positively engage in activities. Studies have found the benefits of video games in rehabilitation training and have shown that well-designed interactive games can improve players’ motor skills and visual-spatial processing skills, because traditional therapy methods are usually intense for children, they need to take multiple breaks.

Video games rehabilitation is safe and feasible, self-motivated physical therapy which is guided by a low-cost video game system is indeed very much attractive. It is observed that children are highly motivated to play the video games that helping to improve the upper extremity abilities of children with CP. Patients who participate in virtual reality gaming therapy can increase the intensity, frequency and duration of therapy movements that lead to enhanced motor performance.

Cerebral Palsy Parenting

Special children have special needs. Even though doctor’s handle 75℅ of the treatment but the remaining 25℅ is in the hands of Parents. There are a number of ways parents can lend a helping hand to make the child’s life easier.

Educate the family: Not only mom and dad but the entire family should learn and understand what Cerebral palsy is and how it affects the child. When the whole family is involved, the responsibility of caring for your child is not stuck on one person. Little things like these make differences.

Be your child’s in-house therapist: Home is the best and most comfortable place for a child’s therapy. If the parents also learn the proper ways to help the child exercise at home, they can help him stretch his muscles and build balance.

Help the child explore the world and be the best version of themselves: Parents should understand that the child with Cerebral Palsy also has a life to live. Taking the children to museums, playing games, working on art projects and including them in family activities and outings can help the child to learn new things and will make them feel that they are also a valued member of the family.

Be patient: Acknowledge that your situation is a frustrating one and that anyone could become impatient. Focus on achieving small goals and how will your child become more self-reliant. Adjust sometime for yourself into your daily schedule. Get required care, either from a family member, friend, volunteer or paid provider. Join a support group where you can meet other parents in the same situation as they may be able to suggest new doctors, offer advice, or give honest reviews about the drugs or braces. They might lift your spirits on tough days. If you try this & still find yourself frustrated and impatient, speak to a counsellor.

Proper Diet: Feeding issues can be very complex for children with Cerebral Palsy and in fact, it is estimated that 35% of children with Cerebral Palsy are malnourished. So, it is wise to serve healthy food that can help to strengthen bone and muscles. Also, have a speech therapist work with your child to strengthen mouth muscles & to use his tongue more efficiently.

AUTISM ACCEPTANCE AND NOT JUST AWARENESS !!

Awareness and autism have been the new buzzwords in today's world. For me, autism awareness is knowing that Autism is not a disease but it is a set of developmental delays leading to behavioural and sensory challenges. Awareness is understanding that autistic people are not disabled but they are differently-abled. Awareness is understanding that autistic people may not communicate better but they still have a say. The time for autism awareness is over now, its the time for acceptance. Acceptance is not just calling the autistic child at a birthday party. Acceptance is not just opening the doors for an autistic child but also opening the heart for them. Acceptance is not just passing a smile at them but also raising your voice when you see someone is being rude towards them. Acceptance is not just a positive attitude but it is a necessity, a matter of urgency. Autistic children will not be safe until we understand the difference between awareness and actual acceptance. 

Today's world is much busier in their routine. Every day we are faced with many choices to make. Making the wrong choices can lead to anxiety and anxiety only makes everything even worse. Autism is associated with anxiety. Autism awareness is teaching your child about autistic children but autistic acceptance is teaching your child to communicate with an autistic child and be the facilitator if not a friend. It is not acceptable when you favour autistic people by offering jobs to them but acceptance is when you realize their abilities and skills and helping them explore and be the best version of themselves. I hope one day globally people will realize that for sustainable development no one should be left behind. I hope one day people will learn to respect each other's differences and that day will be more of accepting autism. Autism awareness has done its damage now its time for autism acceptance to repair it. 

AUTISM PARENTING

As parents, you probably need to spend a lot of time thinking about your child’s future, even more, if he or she has an autism spectrum disorder or ASD diagnosis. Apart from medical care and treatment of autism and therapies you may line to help your son /daughter that there are simple and everyday things that make a difference.

Focus on the positive side: Just like other children, children with autism spectrum disorder often respond well to positive reinforcement. That means when you praise them for their behaviours that they are doing well, it will make them feel good. Be so much specific that they should know what exactly you liked about their behaviour. Find ways to reward them, either by the extra playtime or a small prize like stickers, toy gifts etc.

Stay consistent and proper on the schedule: People on the spectrum like routines. Make sure they get consistent guidance and interaction so that they can practice what they learn from therapy. This can help in learning new skills and behaviours much easier and help them to apply their knowledge in different situations. Talk with their school teacher or any other teacher and their therapists to align on a consistent set of techniques and methods of interaction so it can help them learn at home with ease.

Give them some time: You will likely try a lot of different techniques, treatments and approaches as and when you figure out what is best for your child. Stay and think positive, try not to get discouraged if they don’t respond to a particular method.

Take your child along with you for the everyday activities: If your child’s behaviour is unpredictable or not proper, you may feel like it is easier not to expose them to certain situations that take place. But when you take them on everyday activities like grocery shopping or a post office run, it may help them get them used to the world around.

Get support on a social platform: Whether online or face-to-face, support from the families, professionals and friends can be a big help. Support groups can also be a good way to share advice and information and to meet other parents dealing with similar challenges. Individual, marital, or family counselling sessions can be helpful, too. Think about what might make your life a little more easier and ask for help.

Look into the respite care: This is when the other caregiver looks after the child for a period of time to give you a short break. You will need it, especially when your child has intense needs due to ASD. This can give you a chance to do the things that restore or retain your child’s own health and that you enjoy so that you come back home ready to help.