Q: I have a 5 years old daughter who is not fully mentally grown. We have shown her to many doctors but all our efforts have gone in vain. She is not able to talk or walk. She can't hold anything. The only thing she can do herself is sit. I am very much worried about her health. Will she be able to do anything like a normal child? I am wafting for your reply.

A:We understand that you are having some difficult times in handling your daughter but your statement that all your efforts are in vain is not in keeping with the changing trends and achievements made by children and adults with disability. There are examples of severely physically disabled adults achieving great milestones even despite their disability. Our advice to you would be to not spend your time and energy in normalising her but rather spend it on developing her strengths as I am certain she will have many. There are many technological advances made wherein even children with severe disabilities can be trained towards independence. Your daughter is still young and she can definitely be trained to use her strengths and abilities to the optimum. I reiterate that it is a must that you do not try to compare her to normal for we strongly believe in the statement "who is the one to decide what is normal." To give you more guidance on this we will need to evaluate your daughter and then give you our suggestions. Do feel free to write to us if you need a future appointment.