Indoor Hospital Treatment

Treatment The unit has been designed so that the child can be admitted along with the mother or primary care giver. To arrive at a proper diagnosis of the child’s problem and plan a detailed management strategy, a detailed assessment of the child and his/her interactions with parents is carried out. The parents’ attitudes towards the child are observed, as is their approach to handling the child’s problems. An investigation is undertaken about the child’s relations with peers, and his/her interactions in the school and other environments.

Management consists of both pharmacological and non- pharmacological treatment.

Non-pharmacological interventions include

• Psychotherapy and counselling of the child
• Parental guidance sessions and family therapy
• Play therapy
• Discussions and group meetings for family members
• If necessary, the child’s school is visited to gather information about the child’s performance, behaviour and interaction with school authorities and peers.

For children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities:

• The mother is taught about the techniques of training by the staff
• The mother imparts training to the child under the guidance of the staff

The children follow a structured daily schedule. Activities are tailored to develop problem solving, communication and social skills and include:

• Physical exercise
• Indoor and outdoor games and sports
• Study
• Story telling
• Creative work such as drawing, art and crafts, clay modeling etc.
• Dancing and music
• Group discussions

The children are an integral part of the Antara community, and participate in all the outings, cultural programs and festivals celebrat-ed at Antara. Special days for both inpatient and outpatient