Rahim

Rahim is a 45 year-old man with mild intellectual impairment. Rahim was typically developing, however he suffers from severe epilepsy and by the age of 12 his mental functioning had been significantly compromised by the seizures and he was placed in a special school.

Rahim has still retained many of the things he learned in school as a child. His English is very good and he often translates between me and the other students. I am not sure I can always trust his translations, as he is more likely to invent something rather than admit that he does not know how to say it in English. He knows English rhymes and songs like "Jack and Jill went up the hill..." and others that I had not heard before. He knows multiples of 5 very well. When I give him the time, he will reply by dividing that number into 5 (i.e., The time is 3:45pm... 345= 69 x 5). He also likes to test me, but he is much faster than I am.

Rahim is one of the oldest and most mentally developed students at Asadeepam, and as a result he feels superior to both the other students and teachers. Rahim does not respond well to orders, which is the method used by the teachers. They all have difficulties working with Rahim because he does not respond well to their methods. I have found it best to speak to Rahim simply as a 45 year-old man, to which he responds much better. When other students are acting out, Rahim will tell me that their brains are "ill". He clearly sees himself as different than the rest of the students, and does not consider himself to have any intellectual impairments.

Rahim is a very devoted Muslim, and does not socialise with children who are not Muslim. When asked to distribute class materials, he will only give them to Hindu and Christian children last, or not at all. He refuses to say the common prayers with the other students, and prays at dawn and dusk on his own. The other teachers have told Rahim that I am a Muslim so we get along very well. Rahim stays at the school during the holidays because his brother is unable to take him. He is married to a Christian, and Rahim does not approve so he causes a lot of problems in their home. The wife has refused to let Rahim stay in their home.

Rahim has a grand mal seizure about once a month, and he is taking medication to control his epilepsy. After an episode, he is often unaware of what has just happened and refuses to rest. Rahim is also taking medication for blood pressure and diet pills to control his weight.

Rahim is one of 7 children, and his older brother visits every other Sunday. His brother speaks English very well and works as a pharmacist. Rahim's brother comes to the school to bring Rahim new clothes, take him for a nice meal, and take Rahim for things he may need like a doctor's visit or a haircut. I enjoy his visits since I like to learn about Rahim's childhood, and the development of his intellectual problems. Rahim's brother is also interested in psychology and my opinions on hypnosis, homeopathic treatment and pharmacological interventions. Rahim always looks forward to his brother's visits, and will talk about it in the days leading up to his arrival.

Rahim has mild intellectual impairment, but I believe his seizures are too severe for him to hold a steady job. Also, he has a strong personality and is not very tolerant of those who are different. Since he has been in special schools from a very young age, he has grown accustom to the comforts of the daily routines, and I do not think he could adjust very well to living outside of an institution. In North America, it would be possible to find an unskilled job for Rahim, however there are still preconceptions in India that make it difficult to find employment and support for individuals with special needs. Kerala is very focused on social services, so hopefully there will be more employment opportunities for individuals with special needs in the near future.