Adopt a different approach to manage neurodevelopmental disabilities – Trainer

A training programme for rehabilitation professional working with children with Neurodevelopmental disabilities on Monday opened with a call for professionals to look for a new approach to managing such disabilities

Mr Kees Van Den Broek, Former Director of Liliane Foundation, a Netherlands based organization, said the same approach that was used in the 80s to manage orthopedic conditions such as club foot, polio etc. is the same approach being used to manage recent complex disabilities.

He said: “There is the need for a different approach to managing neurodevelopmental disabilities which focuses on the wellbeing of the child and the family and centers on the role of parents.

The training programme, the first of its kind, is hosted by the Salvation Army Ghana and Togo Territory in partnership with the University of Education, Winneba with support from Cerebral Palsy Africa.

Participants were from Ghana, Uganda, DR Congo

Dr Colonel Samuel Amponsah, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army Ghana, noted that there seems to be a shortage of competent rehabilitation specialists when it comes to managing some neurodevelopmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy.

He therefore lauded the training and urged participants to take the training seriously and endeavor to make a difference in the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Captain Kwesi Eyi Acquah, Presiding Member of the Effutu Constituency who represented the Member of Parliament for the area Mr Alexander Afenyo -Markin, pledged the MP’s commitment and support towards children’s neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Major Agartha Essel, Director in charge of Medical, social and community services at the Salvation Army, urged participants to be open minded to embrace the new thinking of the training officers.

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Executive Director of the Special Mothers Project, said it was important that therapists and rehabilitation professionals embrace a new way of engaging parents in their approach to managing cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Ms Annelove Prempeh, Mother of an 18-year-old Lady with cerebral palsy shared her experiences with the participants

Mr Norden Botwe, Executive Director of SWEB Foundation, a disability based non-governmental organization, who chaired the opening ceremony said the training programme was innovative.

He called on stakeholders to work together

Neurodevelopmental disabilities are a group of disabilities that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect  movement, emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory.