Additional Needs
Puberty has landed
by Carolyn Voisey
on 11th April, 2024
Searching For The Right CP Care, Education and Support in the Middle East
Therapy is useless, the therapists are just so tough and rough. When you ask them to make friends first of all so Dida will cooperate they tell you you're spoiling her and they tell you with this attitude she'll never walk.
When she vomits out of frustration they make faces and look disgusted so you try another centre and the result is the same.
We took her to the Bobath Centre in London where the therapists were amazing. She made friends with the therapists and responded to what they taught her and made really good progress.
Then we took her to the USA. Again it was a centre where they were specialists in dealing with children with all sorts of disabilities, behavioural, learning, physical, etc.
They made the therapy fun.
Again she did well. They would tell the child "let's go and play" and they made it fun. They wouldn't force them if they had a meltdown so the results were good.
However, all of these treatments have to be self-funded. Equipment is very expensive and we don't have any government funding - there are lots of children who need specialist care.
There is a centre for Downs Syndrome which is amazing but it's only for Downs Syndrome.
I really wish it wasn't necessary to have to go overseas to get the treatment that so many children need and furthermore, not everybody can afford to do this.
Air fare is expensive, accommodation, actual treatment and equipment drain your finances but you just can’t just sit back and do nothing.
I know a lot of people complain about the National Health Service but people really have no idea how lucky they are to have this facility.
I was brought up in the UK, worked and paid tax and national insurance contributions and I moved to the Middle East when I got married. I returned to have my three children in the UK although I did choose to go private but I constantly return and am so grateful when there is an emergency that the NHS is available.
We will continue to support our daughter and her husband to pay for this necessary treatment for our granddaughter and just pray that she will eventually be able to walk even with assisted appliances.
As far as mainstream school is concerned that is another problem.
Currently, she's is at preschool where she's allowed to have a nanny with her because she has CP.
The school are very considerate as many establishments simply refused for anyone to accompany her, but we will overcome that obstacle if we can't get her into one of two schools who take special needs kids.
It is very frustrating and just not possible to move back to their UK so we just have to make the best of what we have, she has just started therapy now with a wonderful therapist recommended by her paediatrician.
She's only had a couple of sessions but the first thing she said is that they would have to spend the first couple of sessions getting to know each other, making friends and gaining trust.
So far, so good.
This is what we want, so let's hope that we've finally found the right person.
