Madhuram Narayanan Centre hosts International Conference on Mental Retardation

Chennai, November 24, 2010: The 3rd International Conference on Early Intervention in Mental Retardation, organized by the Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children is being held in Chennai on the 26th and 27th of November. A number of experts on the subject will come together to discuss early intervention in prevention, care and management of children with mental retardation and associated disabilities.

This International Conference is held once in three years bringing together experts from across the globe and India, along with workshops and demonstrations of the progress made to the audience. The purpose is to help those in the medical profession and families recognize the condition at an early age, crucial to providing support to the child.

The conference is being inaugurated by Thiru S S Jawahar, IAS, Secretary to Government, Welfare of Differently Abled Persons, Tamil Nadu on 25th evening. The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment D Napoleon is the Chief Guest at the valedictory function on 27th where the summary on various key presentations will also be presented. Children who are learning and training at the Centre will make demonstrations and presentations of their capabilities during the workshops and conference sessions.

The key themes to be presented during the conference include: recent trends in research towards early detection and prevention of disabilities, joint focussed interventions, medical and special education, Information and Communication Technology, reaching out services, policy and programmes towards the implementation of the Rights of Child with disabilities. Key speakers include Prof George Baroff from University of North Carolina, USA, Prof. Peter Farrell from University of Manchester, UK and Ms Wenningsih from Perkins International, Asia Pacific Region.

Background

The Madhuram Narayanan Centre – named after the wife of Mr K S Narayanan, the Chairman Emeritus, Sanmar Group – was started as a social initiative of the Group. It was initially an educational research project, with the unique “Upanayan” tool that helps detect and intervene in Mental Retardation (MR) at an early age. The significance of this research is that early intervention, empowering parents and creating awareness are crucial to helping to enhance the skills of these children and move them towards mainstreaming.

With the support of IndChem Research, a decision was taken to set up a Centre to benefit children with disabilities. This was in 1989. Today, over 4000 children have benefited from the systematic processes and care offered by the Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children, (MNC) in Chennai.

Now, recognized by the Government of India’s Ministry of Social Justice and the Tamilnadu Government’s Commission for Differently Abled, the MNC receives most of its aid from Central Government Grants besides contributions from donors and well-wishers.

An estimated 2% of children suffer from Mental Retardation. Being unaware of the condition, denial or poor environment and support mechanisms are hurdles to mainstreaming these children. The Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children has been offering this crucial support for over 20 years now. After their early intervention program “Upanayan”, many children have entered mainstream schools.

Children are offered support through providing 50 skills in the area of language, communication, social, cognitive and motor development. Individual programs including special education, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are applied during the 0 – 6 years program at the Centre.

Service providers, health professionals, caregivers and those interested in the subject may register for the conference at Website: www.mncindia.org

For further information, contact Mr Krishnan: 9940659148

The Madhuram Narayanan Centre – named after the wife of Mr K S Narayanan, the Chairman Emeritus, Sanmar Group – was started as a social initiative of the Group. It was initially an educational research project, with the unique “Upanayan” tool that helps detect and intervene in Mental Retardation (MR) at an early age. The significance of this research is that early intervention, empowering parents and creating awareness are crucial to helping to enhance the skills of these children and move them towards mainstreaming.

With the support of IndChem Research, a decision was taken to set up a Centre to benefit children with disabilities. This was in 1989. Today, over 4000 children have benefited from the systematic processes and care offered by the Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children, (MNC) in Chennai.

Now, recognized by the Government of India’s Ministry of Social Justice and the Tamilnadu Government’s Commission for Differently Abled, the MNC receives most of its aid from Central Government Grants besides contributions from donors and well-wishers.

Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children
No. 1, Giriappa Road, Opp. Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust,
T.Nagar, Chennai – 600 017, INDIA
Tel : +91-044-2815 1840 / 91-044-2815 1843
Fax : +91-044-2815 1843. E-mail : mnc.chennai@gmail.com
Mr Krishnan: +91-9940659148

This release was published on openPR.