Early Childhood development and preparing for school for children with special needs from the country through intensive week packages

Aim of the project:

The program will aim to provide professional services for children (aged 3-7) across the country who have developmental delays, atypical behavior, or social and emotional difficulties. The main goals is to provide equal access to quality therapeutic services for families across the country. Packages will provide a 5-day individualized intensive therapeutic program that will take place in Karin dom. Project will provide support to families from vulnerable social groups – low-income families; single parents; foster families; families living in areas where there is a lack of any kind of social services. Karin dom has a profound experience and expertise acknowledged at regional and national level and even abroad. By supporting the families, Karin dom will also provide support to the local specialists, as they will use documents, assessments and expertise for improving the services they provide or will provide.

Activities:

The program will include observations, intensive therapy and work with the family. In addition, Karin dom specialists will design an individual detailed therapeutic program to do at home. Depending on every particular case, the listed below specialists will work with the family: physiotherapist, psychologist, speech therapist and social worker. Specialists will decide what therapy is appropriate for the child. Therapy will include rehabilitation work, work with speech therapist, trampoline therapy, sensory activities, а toy library, health care and family work – social worker counseling, consultation with psychologist and parental support groups/ motivation trainings.

Results:

By mutual efforts, we will support 18 children and families from all regions of the country and will motivate parents to develop their potential. Our specialists’ priority is every child, regardless of its deficits, to be included in the educational system, which starts in the early preschool age. The program will support the involvement of children in kindergartens and schools, which is crucial for their success in the education system.

The main advantage of this program will be that therapy happens in front of the parents and with their participation – the family-oriented approach will be applied. Parents will see that their children despite the difficulties have the skills to deal with so many things and will become advocates for their children and their right to be educated with peers. By early support, families will become more self-esteemed and confident that their children will cope with school challenges, will be accepted and will develop their capacity, as they deserve.

The home program with guidelines that specialists will prepare for the family to do will help parents to understand and satisfy the everyday needs of the child both in home environment and outside.

About Friends of Bulgaria Association, UK

Friends of Bulgaria is the first charity to devote humanitarian aid to Bulgaria, responding in 1991 to the crisis in funding hospitals and institutional homes for children with disabilities and orphanages for abandoned children.

Photo credit: Karin dom