The Early Intervention Section
From its inception, the Centre has sought to offer comprehensive services to children starting at an early age (from birth to 6 years). The program of the Early Intervention Section entails visiting children with special needs in their homes and training their mothers on how to deal with their children’s needs.
* This program is based on two key services:
- Internal services that involve:
- Enhancing the abilities of the children that are being trained at home in order to prepare them for the pre-school section.
- Integrating the children into the mainstream private and public schools available in their respective neighborhoods and following up on them through periodical visits.
- Evaluating the children’s abilities using the Developmental Profile Test to comprehensively assess the children’s intellectual age.
- External services that involve:
- The home visits program: this is a training service provided to mothers and children at home. It focuses on training mothers on how to work with their children.
The referral program: this involves identifying the problem(s) the child suffers from and referring the child to a specialist to diagnose the problem accurately in order to work on solving it, whether it is to a speech therapist, or to hearing and eyesight examination centers.
The Pre-School Section
This Section is specialized in teaching and training students, aged between 6 and 12 years. It provides them with academic skills and exposes them to various autonomy skills in addition to extracurricular activities. The skills provided are based on the academic capabilities, fine and gross motor skills, independence and social and responsive skills of the children.
An individual academic program is prepared for each student. They are then divided into two different classes, where students are trained on academic and daily life skills.
The weekly programme for the pre-school students includes:
- Pre-reading, writing and mathematical skills.
- General knowledge: science, social, religious and civics studies, as well as self-care activities.
- Meal preparation skills and table etiquette.
- Accurate motor skills, such as art, basic sewing principals, Lego.
- Other activities: art, physical education, music and basic computer skills.
The School Section
This section is for students aged between 13 and 17 years. The students are divided into four groups, according to their ages and intellectual capabilities. The students are trained on a set of academic and autonomy goals within the individual educational plan developed for each student depending on their abilities. The training covers different aspects, such as self-care, daily life activities, practical duties and chores, activities that include interaction with the local community, participation in group situations, time management, cognitive skills, curricular activities, communication and language skills and general knowledge (Islamic studies, science and civics), in addition to complimentary extracurricular activities that include art, sports, computer and music.
The Vocational Rehabilitation Section
The Vocational Rehabilitation Section trains students aged between 16 and 25 years in its main rehabilitation units. These are:
- Ceramics and Mosaics
- Woodwork
- Weaving
- Horticulture
In addition to the nutrition unit and the academic program, this section trains students through actual production. It aims to cover all aspects of the chosen vocation in order to facilitate future job placements in the open labor market.
The students in this section also participate in non-curricular activities, such as music, computer and sports.
Teaching and Training
The Centre provides its students with various academic and training skills through academic curricula, as well as through the application of the activities of the independent AUEN (Addressing Unique Educational Needs) curriculum.
The Centre carries out its duties by:
- Supervising the preparation of individual academic plans (for each semester, month and week) for the Centre’s students and following up on the implementation of these plans throughout the academic year in the Center’s three sections.
- Monitoring the performance of the students through a follow up form for different skills.
- Preparing the annual report of the students’ performance.
- Communicating regularly with the heads of the sections and the teachers regarding the activities that are actually used in order to achieve the set goals.
- Providing the needed learning materials and aids for the set goals inside the classrooms.
- Involving the parents in evaluating their children’s performance through certified forms that are sent to them on a regular basis.