Turkey provides child rehabilitation centers for children with special needs, and these centers are characterized by offering the latest treatment and rehabilitation techniques as well as expert medical staff from various specialties.
Child rehabilitation centers in Turkey
Child rehabilitation centers provide support and care for children with special needs who have health conditions that affect their quality of life and their ability to carry out daily activities.
Whether these conditions are related to physical disabilities that hinder the child’s motor activity or other health issues that affect the cognitive side, such as speech and communication impairments.
The medical staff at child rehabilitation centers is keen to understand how motor or cognitive impairments affect a child’s life and development, and the doctors at the center combine their experience and knowledge to design a customized treatment program for each individual child to ensure that the program provides support and care according to each child’s needs.
Experts in child rehabilitation centers work hand in hand with the child’s family because it has a very positive impact on the child when parents are involved in the rehabilitation process.
Objectives of child rehabilitation centers in Turkey
The main goal of child rehabilitation centers is to enable young people to regain normal function, improve their quality of life, reintegrate them into society, and provide the necessary environment for normal development and growth.
The objectives of child rehabilitation centers vary for each child according to their health condition, and it is essential to set reasonable goals after thoroughly evaluating the child’s condition and discussing them with the family.
Who works at the child rehabilitation center in Turkey?
Child rehabilitation centers in Turkey are staffed by doctors and experts from various medical specialties such as pediatrician, psychiatrist, physiotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, in addition to nursing staff with experience in dealing with children.
Not only medical professionals but also experts in the field of education, arts, and games that develop a child’s creative and emotional sense of well-being.
Children who need rehabilitation programs
In fact, any issue that may affect the quality of life and hinder a child’s ability to perform daily activities may be a candidate for a rehabilitation program:
- Congenital diseases that cause mental retardation
- cerebral palsy
- Neurological injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries
- Chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome
- Birth defects such as spina bifida
- Motor impairment for any reason
- Failure to thrive
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Speech and language disorders
- Visual-sensory deficits
Types of treatments in child rehabilitation centers in Turkey
The pediatric rehabilitation center in Turkey provides a wide range of treatments, including:
Pediatric Physical Therapy in Turkey
Physical therapists work to help a child reach their full potential in terms of functional independence and the ability to move independently, achieved by improving range of motion, flexibility and muscle strength.
Physiotherapists achieve the above goals by doing fun activities for the child, allowing him to play in the gym, and doing movements aimed at improving the child’s motor skills, such as running, jumping, and balancing exercises standing on one leg, in addition to exercises with large balls to increase muscle strength.
Pediatric physical therapy can also be performed or supplemented at home with specific activities:
- Delayed psychomotor development (delayed walking)
- Muscular weakness and dysfunction
- Genetic disorders such as Down syndrome
- Poor coordination, balance, and motor planning
- Nerve injuries, such as cerebral palsy
- Recovery after traumatic injuries
Occupational therapy
An occupational therapist works to help the child perform daily activities and tasks and enable the child to live more independently.
Occupational therapy is based on building a child’s basic skills, such as teaching a child how to brush teeth and dress, as well as teaching a child to write and play with his/her peers.
The child’s occupational therapy is conducted with both recreational and educational methods such as completing broken words, obstacle course games, and completing missing pictures.
The type and duration of treatment vary depending on the child’s condition:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Birth defects and learning disabilities
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Neurological conditions such as spina bifida
- Failure to thrive and feeding issues
- Children with seizures
Speech therapy in Turkey
The speech therapist works to diagnose and treat children who suffer from language communication disorders or issues with swallowing and voting. The speech therapist helps the child to develop functional language communication skills through several sessions in which the child is treated using advanced modern methods and techniques.
A speech therapist treats children with:
- Speech or voice disorders
- Dysphagia and difficulty eating
- Cognitive communication disorders
- Hearing impairment
- Genetic syndromes such as Rett and DiGeorge
Aquatic Therapy Program
It is one of the recreational means aimed at rehabilitating children and improving their motor activity, balance, and psychological state. Some child rehabilitation centers have special swimming pools that provide the child with a comfortable play environment and are useful in improving the child’s motor activity through water games under the supervision of specialized technicians.
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