REHABILITATION SERVICES

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Physical Therapists conduct assessments for students and they provide individual and routine-based intervention sessions. They focus on the vital areas of seating, postural control, basic and advanced gross motor skills, mobility skills, balance and coordination and multi-sensory stimulation and advising the use of positioning aids and safely transitioning students in various classroom routines. For students with cerebral palsy and associated physical disabilities, they work intensively on maintaining postural control and positioning. They also provide support to students in sports and gym sessions

Al Noor’s Seating Clinic focuses on providing comprehensive and professionally driven services in assessments and identifying and recommending seating solutions to individuals with physical disabilities. Our physical therapists are also responsible for ensuring safe use of transport by advising safety in seating and positioning in our school buses and students’ personal transport.

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational Therapists (OTs) concentrate on the core domains of fine motor, self-care, sensory integration, visual perceptual and pre-vocational skills. They are responsible for providing individualized sensory integration intervention sessions and sensory diets for home and classroom use. They also extend support in classrooms in areas of fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual skills. Individual Motor planning sessions are provided to students with motor coordination challenges. OTs advise the use of orthoses for students who have hand function difficulties. A range of adaptations are recommended for challenges in sensory regulation, daily living skills, fine motor. Parents are provided with home programs in all areas of OT

They are responsible for developing the functional independence of all students, through the use of adaptive aids for daily tasks. The department conducts assessments and provides an intervention program for all students.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND SPEECH

Speech and Language therapists (SLTs) support students by focusing on the key areas of communication, language, speech, articulation and phonology, voice, fluency, prosody, literacy, auditory perception, oral-motor and swallowing functioning and socialization. We also provide training in augmentative and alternative communication, to address the needs of those students with complex communication challenges. Speech and language assessments are done for all students and individual, group and routine-based intervention sessions are planned according to student requirements. Individual intervention is provided to students with oral-motor, feeding and swallowing challenges. With a strong emphasis on developing communication skills in the absence of verbal speech, a range of low tech and high tech augmentative and alternative language and communication tools and technologies are used to enable students to access communication within their school and home routines. Makaton signs are taught to students, staff and parents to facilitate communication. Interactive, customized resources are used to develop communication skills.

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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Al Noor has taken a leading role in promoting Assistive Technology to improve the quality of lives of its students and within the wider Dubai community. The professionals within our specialist department identify what precise Assistive Technology tools needed are to facilitate specific tasks for students and to aid them to achieve their prescribed goals. Assessments to determine alternate access modes are conducted for students with physical access limitations. Alternative access includes use of a range of switches and eye gaze. Individualized training in both switch access and eye gaze is provided to students

Assistive Technology therapists collaborate with our Trans-Disciplinary team members to ensure full understanding of each student’s difficulties and to find solutions to assist them. We put great emphasis on helping them to access the selected tools and encouraging them to use them for maximum benefit. The focus is ensuring adaptations and access solutions are provided in areas such as communication, literacy, ICT, housecraft, vocational skills, co-curricular services, self-care, fine motor skills, etc. Low cost adaptations are fabricated in-house in our AT Lab and trialed and prescribed for students. Parents are advised on procuring access solutions for home use. Individual Intervention addressing the vision challenges in students with low vision/critical visual impairment through the use of specialized devices, online resources, and lighting adaptations is provided.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

We want our students to enjoy all the benefits technology can bring them, to connect them to the wider world and enhance their learning experience. Recognizing the significant role of ICT in enhancing employability prospects of our young adults, ICT as a life skill, is introduced from an early age, and is taught to every student regardless of their ability. The department teaches pre-computing skills, such as how to use touch-based devices and how to access them, how to use hardware such as a mouse and a keyboard. When they have mastered basic skills, students are taught how to access software, online resources and applications which support their learning. Training in more advanced computer skills such as MS Office, how to browse safely, how to access emails and to use social media, and even web design is given to our abler students as a means of communicating, learning and literacy. A range of apps are provided as resources to work upon goals of the IEP. Online safety education provided to students and parents are guided. Adaptations in mouse, keyboard, extensive use of touchscreens and touch-typing are used to enable barrier-free access to the digital world.

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SOCIAL WORK

This department links the school staff, our students and their families and the wider community. Social Workers liaises between the Trans-Disciplinary Assessment and Intervention teams to ensure consistent communication and active parental involvement. Our Social workers work in close coordination with psychologists to focus on supporting parents managing their home routines, bring about lifestyle changes, counseling families, siblings, implement training in home environment, source community support for parents, etc.

They conduct home visits for assessments and intervention teams and bring back valuable information on family life of our students. They also conduct home visits as part of the Center’s student sponsorship service. They serve as liaisons between students’ psychiatrists and student’s intervention teams

They play a crucial role in facilitating parent empowerment through awareness workshops and sibling club activities.

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Department of Psychology determines where the child is best placed within the school and what intervention will be necessary to help them to develop. Assessments are completed for each new student to establish the level or cognitive, developmental, neuropsychological, academic and adaptive functions of each child.

Our expert staff makes educational and behavioural recommendations and, based on these assessments, they determine the suitability of students for classroom placement, programmes within the curriculum and work placement. For students with challenging behaviour, we employ Positive Behaviour Support and Crisis Intervention techniques within the classroom, across routines and at home.

Through counselling sessions, we work closely with students and their families to identify best personal coping strategies for each person. Student counseling sessions are held to focus on self-regulation of emotions, building self-esteem, coping mechanisms and developing self-advocacy skills. Parent counseling to support families with coping strategies and carrying out home based intervention is provided.

A strong emphasis is placed in supporting our students’ mental health, wellbeing and managing emotions. Students are referred for external psychiatric intervention and periodic follow-up is done with parents and psychiatrists to manage co-existing mental health conditions.

Our Self-Awareness Programme offers students the opportunity to learn social, emotional and body awareness skills and how to behave in different situations. Recommendations are provided to families to develop sleep hygiene and manage sleep difficulties