Sense International India has launched SII-SAMWED, a mental health screening tool designed for children and young adults with deafblindness, a group for whom mental health assessment options have been limited.

The tool, introduced during Mental Health Awareness Month, is intended to help identify and monitor mental health concerns among people with deafblindness.

According to Sense India, about 500,000 people in India live with deafblindness, a condition involving combined hearing and vision loss that can affect communication, access to services and social interaction. Mental health support for this population remains limited.

SII-SAMWED has been developed for two age groups: children aged 10-18 and young adults aged 19-29. The assessment consists of 37 items covering emotional regulation, behavioural regulation, social functioning, and cognitive and physiological regulation. A separate section on substance use is included for young adults.

The organisation said the tool was developed through literature reviews, consultations with specialists, pilot studies and field research. Validation studies involved 308 children and 117 young adults. The assessment underwent reliability testing and statistical analysis before being approved for use in educational and clinical settings.

Parents, special educators and community-based rehabilitation workers can administer the assessment in around 30 to 40 minutes in homes, schools and community settings. Sense India said the tool is being used in multiple states.

The launch comes alongside the expansion of a Psycho-Social First Aid (PSFA) Professionals Course developed with the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar. The three-month online programme provides training for special educators and rehabilitation professionals working with people with deafblindness.

The course is based on the RAPID framework — Rapport Building, Assessment, Prioritisation, Intervention, Disposition and Referral. It focuses on recognising and responding to issues including anxiety, grief, trauma, loneliness and emotional distress.

According to the organisation, 468 educators and rehabilitation workers have completed training in mental health identification and support. More than 280 people with deafblindness and 167 family members have received counselling services, while over 1,550 stakeholders have participated in related training programmes.

Founded in 1997, Sense International India works with people with deafblindness and multiple disabilities through partner organisations and service centres across 25 states. The organisation says its programmes currently reach more than 84,000 individuals.