SUPPORT FOR THE FUTURE of every CHILD!


 

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Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration of Children

(CSRI) Kazanlak

The center caters for over 40 children with special needs/disabilities.

The main purpose of the service is to support the individual development, by learning and sustaining of new abilities for children with different types and degrees of disabilities. We support individuals from different ‘at risk’ groups through targeted activities for integration and prevention of social exclusion. The service includes a variety of counseling, therapeutic and rehabilitation activities aimed at creating, maintaining and expanding social skills, as well as learning to live independently. Therapeutic, consultative and rehabilitation activities are carried out by specialists who assist and support service users and their family through individual and/or group activities. Children use activities and programs (individual or group) hourly – every day or several times a week or month depending on their individual needs.

Target groups:

  • Children with different types of disability/special needs 
  • Children with autism
  • Children with speech disorders
  • Children with physical disabilities
  • Children with hyperactivity
  • Children with intellectual disabilities
  • Children with sensory impairments visual or hearing.

Services in (CSRICD).

  1. Psychological support:   The work is organized in the following main directions:
  • Therapeutic help to restore the child’s disorders (competencies and skills);
  • Therapeutic help for the family

The purpose of the psychological intervention is to direct, support and encourage where necessary. It helps the children to understand how to behave more appropriately in the family, school and kindergarten.

2. Educational work

The special needs teacher will deal with the sensory development, cognitive development, literacy and correction therapy through play.

  • Stimulates the child to understand their body and the environment around them. 
  • Creates opportunities for self-discipline to accomplish activities of everyday life.
  • Develops abstract thinking, cause and effect and advice on relationships through appropriate models.
  • Develops concentration, attention, constructive thinking, memory, and other psychiatric  processes by collaborating with the psychologist and the G.P.

3. Speech therapy

The speech therapist helps children with speech difficulties to learn to speak, correct articulation and respiration and provides alternative communication methods for those children who are unable to speak.  They begin with a speech diagnostic program which helps to determine the client’s linguistic development and communication skills. It assesses the level of speech and linguistic development, oral and other sensory disorders and highlights abnormalities in speech and communication. Through this diagnosis the speech therapist will be able to implement a suitable regime to help and support the child to communicate more effectively. Priority is given to individual training, then to group sessions in order to improve the opportunities for communication.

4. Art Therapy

Art therapy uses creativity to help children and adolescents get in touch with their feelings and desires. The process of drawing, writing or other creative activities provokes the activation of the psychological energy, which helps to promote emotional recovery. Art therapy can improve verbal communication and redirect the desire for expression into other productive forms. Using painting as an example, the theme of the drawing, the size, the colors, the shapes and even the pressure of the brush or pencil are important.  The specialist, after assessing the needs, decides which art to use or to alternate several forms according to the preference of the child or young person itself.

Music and other creative arts also have a very positive impact on children and young people.

5. Occupational therapy

Therapy to assist with independent living:

  • Cooking – teaching skills for elementary cooking and household skills
  • Hygiene – teaching basic hygiene in the home etc.
  • Personal hygiene
  • Housework – teaching ironing, washing, vacuuming, dusting etc.
  • Gardening – teaching general knowledge and care of flowers and plants, watering, planting etc.
  • Creative activities – knitting, sewing, embroidery etc.

Also includes: hobbies – reading, writing etc; art therapy – pictoral and creative activities; working with clay; making invitations and cards; creating sensory games from different natural tactile materials; woodwork – basic concepts such as measuring, forms, shapes and colors.

6. Rehabilitation

Social rehabilitation – training in independent living and creating opportunities for social integration and inclusion. Classes can be individual or group sessions, depending on the characteristics and abilities of each child. The sessions help with physical development of children with special needs, the development of gross and fine motor skills, movement, coordination, dexterity and training in activities of daily life etc. Various methods are used – massage, exercises and procedures; Some of the equipment that we have is:

  • interactive panel for daily activities
  • parallel bars 
  • a standing frame
  • physiotherapy balls
  • wall bars
  • “ball pit”

Services for parents.

  •  Information about the specific disability of their child and community services that may help the child and the family;
  •  Social counseling to improve child care, if necessary. Sometimes using professionals outside the CSRI, which may be beneficial to the family and child;
  •  Counseling and information is provided individually or in groups. It is carried out in a specially prepared environment, according to pre-developed programs and plans, depending on the needs of the client.
  • Parental training programs – to increase parenting skills and  improve the understanding and care for the disabled child.

ACTIONS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES

  • Organizing and conducting information campaigns on various topics related to children and young people with disabilities.
  • Printing leaflets and brochures on specific issues addressed to the community or professionals working with children.
  • Organization of events aimed at the general public or individual professional groups on specific topics related to the social inclusion of children and young people with disabilities.
  •  Involve service users in different municipal events and initiatives.
  •  Advocacy, escorting and assistance of children and families to different services.