Early therapies for children with Down syndrome

-          40 new children were enrolled in occupational, speech and physical therapies.

-          218 Occupational therapy sessions were conducted weekly.

-          244 Physical therapy sessions were conducted weekly.

-          273 Speech therapy sessions were conducted weekly.

Policy Refresher Sessions.

KDSP and its stakeholders have seen a major positive shift in its growth in the recent times in terms of its clientele and its service providers. As different cases and circumstances rose, the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) department detected a dire need for some amendments to be made to the thorough ECI SOP and MOO. The internal team made changes accordingly and hosted multiple policy refresher sessions for the therapists and parents. These sessions were not just conducted for better communication between all invested parties but to ensure the provision of the most efficient and smooth sailing services the ECI department has to offer. 

Considering over 70% of our clients are assisted by their mothers, to provide them with the utmost comfort, the ECI policy in cooperated the right to reserve a slot for an ECI client for three months, if their mother is in her last trimester as a form of maternity leave.

Furthermore, we outlined a protocol which KDSP therapists would have to go through if they deem it vital to provide our clients with therapy outside KDSP in their private clinics. This was thought out to avoid any conflict of interest and to establish a level of fairness between all ECI clients. Lastly multiple policies were added for the sole purpose of increasing parent involvement which would consequently impact the progress of the child.

Launched Slack as a communication portal.

The ECI department aimed to shift form a social media platform such as ‘Whatsapp’ to one that could be utilized for smoother communication. To justify this intention, all ECI representatives started employing this app called Slack in February and since then this decision has proven as highly efficient in promoting transparency of processes and smooth communication.

Renewal of the KDSP x ZU-CSLHS MoU.

On 30th March 2023, KDSP had the privilege to uphold the agreement between Ziauddin College of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences (ZU-CSLHS) and KDSP by renewing their MOU for the second year. The MOU aims to continue capacity building of students enrolled in the undergraduate program at (ZU-CSLHS) and simultaneously intends to improve the quality of service-delivery offered at KDSP for children with Down syndrome.

TESTIMONIAL’s

Parent of Noor

“For the first three years of Noor’s life, we did not know about KDSP or any service providing facility that could cater to our child in a holistic manner without causing a financial burden on us. Through word of mouth, we heard of KDSP and took our child to the facility. Over three years ago we entered those doors and since that very moment KDSP and its people have taken such great care of us, may that be financially by providing us with financial assistance and travel allowance or through healthcare services being made accessible or by providing Noor with therapies that we could only dream of. Our only worry now is that where do we go from here. Noor is now 6 years old and will be discharged from her Early Childhood Intervention therapies in the next 3 months. In these 3 years not only has she learned limitlessly and achieved her milestones but we as parents have grown and learnt a lot too, skills which will help us assist our daughter and her future better. I recommend KDSP as the best platform to any family who has a child with Down syndrome as it has impacted our lives deeply.”

Parent of Muhammad

Muhammad's parents were intensely overwhelmed with ‘what the future held’ when Muhammad was diagnosed with Down syndrome. To make matters harder, Muhammad had multiple health comorbidities. It was an extremely tough time for them, considering Muhammad’s birth took place during the pandemic. However, they came to know of KDSP soon after and were relieved to know of a facility that was available to provide much-needed support to their son.

After enrolling Muhammad in the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program offered by KDSP, his parents have seen a remarkable change in his development. “We are grateful to the therapists and staff for their dedication and hard work in helping our son achieve his milestones” Muhammad’s smile and laughter at KDSP brings a sense of joy and hope to his parents, knowing that he is in a safe and caring environment where he can thrive.

Dear Supporters,

This quarter KDSP shifted to a new facility, KDSP Development Center and expanded its capacity to cater to more children for the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program. Through your generous donations, KDSP continues to provide access to essential services that children with Down syndrome need to live an independent life. Following are listed some of the highlights from this quarter:   

• 20 New children were enrolled in therapies
• 275 Occupational therapy sessions were conducted
• 301 Physical therapy sessions were conducted
• 265 Speech therapy sessions were conducted

Parent Empowerment Program

This year the tremendous growth of KDSP has had a domino effect on the turnover of parents reaching out. Consequently, the parents on the waitlist for ECI therapies increased. The Parent Empowerment Program was initiated by KDSP as a means to provide such parents with self-help guidance. The program started on the 17th of September and continues to be centered around the concerns of these waitlisted parents. Each interactive session is an informative guide to better equip the parents to deal with their concerns whilst they wait for their child’s turn to receive services. The program is not only informative in nature but is fueled from an intention to uplift the parents’ spirits and remind them that though they have been on the waitlist for a while, they are extremely valued members of KDSP. 

Professor Annette’s collaboration with Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Department

At the start of September, the ECI department had the pleasure of collaborating with a well-known Physical Therapist Professor Annette, from Philadelphia with 24 years of experience. This collaboration was tailored so it could facilitate the needs of children with delayed results. Every week, Dr. Annette observes and assesses sessions of these kids with their respective therapists and parents on how better results could be achieved. Furthermore, Dr. Annette has also been helping therapists with further diagnosis and assessment of these children. Aside from the observatory work, the upcoming 4 weeks will consist of Dr. Annette hosting educative sessions on topics such as common comorbidities of children with Down syndrome.

ECI Celebration Milestone event

This year KDSP hosted a milestone event in November for all those brilliant individuals that had been discharged from two or more ECI therapies after achieving their milestones. The event had multiple stakeholders, including families of individuals with Down syndrome and KDSP’s donors. The afternoon celebrated not only these individuals and their hard work but also the persistence of their parents and therapists.

Occupational Therapy Training

Anjum has done an MS in Occupational Therapy and is a licensed OTR/L from the University of Illinois, Chicago and works as the manager at  Assential Therapy Solutions (North Carolina, USA). She conducted training in November for therapists at KDSP and it was a great learning experience for the therapists.

Testimonials

Murtaza is a 2.5-year-old beautiful boy. Upon a close and personal conversation with his parents, Murtaza’s mother claims she was extremely disturbed when they found out about his diagnosis. They went on a spiritual journey and visited every mazar (a Muslim shrine) possible, all of which suggested them not to consult any doctors. Two years later, she met with the KDSP team and said she felt like her son and family were finally in safe hands. Murtaza has shown tremendous progress ever since. His physical therapy over the past few months and has successfully started walking, climbing and kicking. Furthermore, his sessions with his speech therapist have been extremely rewarding as Murtaza’s expression and response has shown remarkable improvement. – Afshan, mother of Murtaza

Saifullah is a 3-year-old boy who has shown remarkable improvement in terms of his playing skills, emotional expressions, joint engagement, attention span and gross & fine motor skills. It is refreshing to see Saifullah come out of his shell and become more social. It is also heartwarming to see his fear of sounds turn into his love for music and songs after his speech therapy sessions. – Saifullah’s therapist at KDSP

“I was jobless and KDSP provided me with free of cost therapies. Even though we are on financial aid, we are treated like equals at KDSP just like everyone else, KDSP zindagi guzaarne ki her sahulat aur Rehnumai deta hai humein (KDSP offers us the guidance to cater the needs of our child)” – Muhammad, father of Saifullah

Thank you for all your generous support, in helping us provide early therapies to children with Down syndrome. We look forward to your continued support in helping these children achieve their developmental milestones!

Love,

Team KDSP