Doha: The Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities is marking the World Cerebral Palsy Day, which falls annually on October 6.
The Center operates under the authority of the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, which in turn is affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development and Family.
By marking this day, the Shafallah Center aims to raise awareness about cerebral palsy, its causes and rehabilitation methods, highlight the health, educational, psychological, social, and rehabilitation rights of persons with cerebral palsy, show them solidarity, and promote their social integration.
On the occasion, Executive Director of Shafallah Center Maryam Saif Al Suwaidi said that Shafallah pays great attention to persons with cerebral palsy, adopting the best strategies, therapies, and training for this condition, include speech and language therapies.
Al Suwaidi added that the Center possesses specialists who offer speech and language therapy services using top-notch methods and tools, enabling persons with
cerebral palsy to develop their social communication skills, initiate communication, express their emotions and basic needs, and interact with their surrounding.
The Executive Director of Shafallah Center said that the Center has formed a specialized team capable of providing evaluation and therapeutic services to those facing difficulties with swallowing and feeding skills, assessing their nutritional needs and meeting them by means of creating meal plans that ensure adequate and safe nutrition.
She noted that the number of persons with cerebral palsy receiving the Center’s therapy services stands at 75, benefiting from its psychological, behavioral, educational, rehabilitation, and medical services.
Moreover, the Executive Director of Shafallah Center pointed out that Shafallah holds training workshops for the families of persons with cerebral palsy, including psychology lectures, in addition to providing these families with psychological support, with Shafallah’s Family Support Department holding regula
r meetings for family support groups.
Al Suwaidi said that Shafallah Center has adopted strategies for cerebral palsy therapy and training, including future plans pertaining to speech and language therapies, given that cerebral palsy affects speech heavily, with speech disorders appearing in approximately 70 percent of children with this condition.
The Executive Director of Shafallah Center named some of the technologies that the Center utilizes for cerebral palsy therapy, such as the intensive suit therapy and the eye gaze technology, adding that Shafallah intends to adopt additional assistive technology in the future.
Source: Qatar News Agency