IPHREHAB : VIRGINITY , CURIOSITY , ADVICE FOR TEENAGER

IPHREHAB
Virginity, lost it yet?
A recent survey states the average age for losing virginity is 17.
Is that so or are teenagers getting sexually active even earlier? lets explores ...
Studies have revealed that children, these days, are losing their virginity at a very young age. Experts say that with the average age of puberty going down to 9-10 years for girls and 10-11 years for boys, the average age for losing virginity too is going down. And the deadly paring with this is — awareness about sex is more these days and information (not always from the right sources) is freely available. Television, movies and most prominently the Internet is loaded with extremely easily accessible information and graphic details. This, most of the time, helps to entice the youngsters to experiment, who already have hormones raging through them.


Principal of an international high school says, "I have been dealing with children for a long time and I do believe that children these days are losing their virginity very early. They get attracted to each other and are tempted to take it all further."


Curiosity killed the cat
Psychiatrist says, "It's human nature to be curious. A teenager would definitely want to experiment and experience the information he/she has heard about sex. For certain kids who are more shy, withdrawn and introverts, social networking sites are best for communication. Kids who may be new to exploring sexuality or may have a high drive, do indulge in cyber sex or phone sex at times." Anju Uppal adds, "They are much more aware of things these days and they are very keen to experiment."


Lack of attention from parents
With most parents working, kids are without proper supervision (a maid would not even understand the nuances of phone or cyber sex) and free to do as they like. "Sometimes the attention from the parents is not enough, kids may indulge in these things just to attract negative attention from parents," says Dr Chhabria.


Family history
Children who are from broken families are prone to indulge in flings with multiple partners without emotional attachments. Seema Hingorrany, clinical psychologist adds, "When there is a marital discord between parents the children may try to cling to their relationships and are ready to lose their virginity to hold on to it."


Sex isn't taboo anymore
Sex in our society is also not such a taboo as it used to be earlier and virginity is not such a big deal. Psychotherapist Shilpa Raheja agrees, "Virginity has lost its sacred value. 'Saving your virginity for marriage' is something that is even laughed at these days by some people." This attitude, though not very common is accepted.


Influence of alcohol
Is influence of alcohol or substance abuse one of the reasons that lead to lowering the age of sexual activity among children? Dr Chhabria says, "It may not be one of the reasons but it may stimulate the sexual urge further for them to indulge in sex. Also substance and alcohol tend to reduce the anxiety towards sex and alter consciousness which definitely plays a major role in letting the person freely perform sex."


Peer-group pressure
To have a boyfriend or girlfriend is like a status symbol say experts. "So much of 'hanging around' at pubs, cafes and discos are happening. You need a girl in your arms when you walk in to a party," says Shilpa. There are children who have their reasons for absistence but sometimes they are counteracted upon in a very strong way by the friends and the peer group. "Friends often provide the means when a parent refuses," says Anju.


Proper education needed
Yes we all know sex education is provided in schools. Period. But with rampant teenage pregnancies it obviously is not enough. Shilpa says, "Talking openly about sex is still not common. Parents usually want some other organisation to do the sex-talk with their kids."


Effects on children
Seema says, "In the last five years I have seen the number rise rapidly. Around 50-75 per cent young girls and guys lose their virginity much before they are anywhere near adulthood. And this affects them mentally. When kids are in Std 5, they have crushes and before they are in college most lose their virginity. When such a relationship does not work out depression hits them. There are anxiety disorders, eating disorders and feelings of guilt that may ruin their childhood."


Expert advice for parents
A good relationship between parents may be important where both have similar parenting styles. Parents need to be role models and need to make their child see how important is love, affection, care and commitment in a relationship. They need to explain that sex is something precious to be shared with the person you love and not just an act of physical satisfaction.


The emotional problems that come up with losing virginity at an early age and that come along with multiple partners needs to be explained to your child with a lot of patience. Children also need to understand that their parents are the one who they need to confide into. Also all information from friends and elsewhere needs to be confirmed as it may not always be true. Children also need to judge better for themselves what is right and wrong and what will be good for them in the future.


Advice for teenagers
-The only way you can guarantee that you won't catch a sexually transmitted disease and won't get pregnant is abstinence.
- No one can force you into it. 'If you loved me you'd do it', can be countered with a 'If you really loved me you would wait'.
- Saying a no to a person even if it is someone you have said a yes to earlier, is perfectly okay.
- Always keep in mind that despite what rumors and gossip may suggest, virgins are a majority in most high schools, not a minority.
- If you want to show someone how much you care intercourse is not the only way to go about it. Don't let others try to convince you otherwise.
- If you kiss someone passionately does not mean that you have to go on to having sex with them.

IPHREHAB : MENTAL RETARDATION AND MANAGEMENT TEAM

IPHREHAB



MENTAL RETARDATION AND MANAGEMENT TEAM


Management Team
• Management of a case of mental retardation is  undertaken by a team consisting of psychiatrist or physical medicine expert, psychologist and a special educationalist.
•  The other members of team included are speech therapist, physicooccupational therapist, social worker and a vocational counsellor.
After a thorough assessment, the case is referred to either special school whenever possible, home based training or vocational training.


•  In overall management, there is very significant role of counsellor to help the parents in understanding and accepting the child's problem.
•  This requires a life long adjustment. In order to assist the parents in dealing effectively with the situation, counselling for behaviour modification is essential, as a part of the whole rehabilitation management plan.
•  The focus of counselling depends upon the individual needs and requirement of the mentally retarded and his family.


•   The parent counselling is done as given below;
(1)    To provide information regarding the condition of the mentally retarded child. The counsellor should explain child's condition in simple words to the parents and give enough trial.
Further information regarding management of his associated medical problem and other disabilities must be made available to the parents. The false hopes should be avoided.


(2)    Development of correct attitudes towards their handicapped child. Usually parents have wrong beliefs, ideas and thoughts regarding causes and treatment of their disabled child. They blame each other for being responsible for the birth of such child due to lack of awareness. Parents tend to believe that the child would become normal in due course of time. Hence counsellor should give correct information on the nature, causes and treatment of mentally retarded child.


Educational and Treatment Settings
• Only about 8 percent of mentally retarded students attend regular schools. The majority of mentally retarded students attend schools for children with special needs; a minority are home schooled.
There are real advantages to be had by mainstreaming mentally retarded children into regular schools where they can interact with non-disabled peers
• Some mildly mentally retarded children can attend a regular school with learning support. While attending regular classes most of the day, they may also attend a learning support classroom.
• Special education and learning support classrooms are designed to help children learn both academic and independent living skills.
• Special education is closely tied to social training and vocational training in that special education classes are designed to encourage self-determination.
• Traditional learning environments are not always beneficial for students who have more severe forms of mental retardation.
•  In order to ensure that students who have more severe forms of mental retardation are properly accommodated, they may be placed in a special school.
•  Such alternative schools are staffed by special education and learning support professionals. 


Useful Methods for Teaching Mentally Retarded Students
•  Mentally retarded individuals do better in environments where visual aides such as charts, pictures, and graphs are used as much as possible. Such visual components are useful for helping students to understand what is expected of them.
• The typical academic curriculum also incorporates social skills training and practical learning. Social skills help students navigate through social situations, maintain meaningful relationships, and thrive in the work environment.
 • Individuals with mental retardation benefit from the same teaching strategies used to teach individuals with learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism.
• It is helpful to break tasks down into small steps and introduce the task one step at a time to avoid overwhelming the individual.
•  Once the student has mastered one step, the next is introduced.
•  Mentally retarded individuals do better in environments where visual aides such as charts, pictures, and graphs are used as much as possible. Such visual components are useful for helping students to understand what is expected of them.
•  Individuals with mental retardation require immediate feedback in order to make a connection between their answers, behaviors, or questions and the teacher's responses.
•  A delay in providing feedback may interrupt the connection between cause and effect in the student's mind, and the point will be lost.
•   Most people are kinesthetic learners who learn by doing, by completing a hands-on tasks and appreciating the results.
•  This is especially true for mentally retarded students who cannot comprehend abstract lectures very easily at all.


For example, a teacher who wants to teach the concept of gravity has several options: She can tell students that things are pulled towards the earth by a force known as gravity; she can show students how gravity works by dropping something; or she can instruct the students to drop something while teaching the concept.