MORNING INTERVENTION

Home care for children up to 6 years old with visual impairment/blindness and with or without additional disabilities.

The Early Intervention Program of Sizois has been implemented since 2006 and is the only in Northern Greece integrated educational program addressed to infants and children 0 to 6 years old with visual disorders – blindness, low vision or other diagnosed visual perception problems. Children with visual disorders and additional disabilities such as mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder, neurological disorders, motor or sensory difficulties, neurometabolic syndromes, etc. also participate in the programme. The early years of a child with a visual impairment (VD) are crucial for his/her development and early educational intervention is crucial for his/her development. Recognizing the important role of the family in the life of a child with visual impairments, “SYZOI” implements the Early Intervention program focusing on the family, in-home, by specialized instructors. Educational activities are adapted to the child’s favourite habits and interests. The intervention takes place on a weekly basis, lasts from 40 to 60 minutes and includes educational activities in the form of play in which the participation of parents is essential. During the home visit, a discussion with the parents about the child’s needs, management and problem solving is also held with the parents.

The project is also supported by the Interdisciplinary Team of Syzosis.

Benefits of the Early Intervention Programme:

  • Utilizes the child’s residual vision by holistically enhancing the psychomotor and cognitive development of the child
  • Contributes to the quality of life of the child and his/her family, preventing secondary problems
  • It benefits families by reducing stress levels and improving interaction with other family members.

Objectives of the programme:

  • Observation/evaluation of functional vision and training to improve its use. It is a systematic observation of the child’s ability to use vision in everyday life, in different environments and conditions,
  • Observation using assessment tools and reinforcement of all areas of the child’s development (cognitive, behavioural, emotional, social, communication, motor),
  • Setting educational objectives in order to exploit and promote residual vision, if any,
  • Supporting the family in order to understand the child’s needs as much as possible and to improve the quality of interaction with the child.

Home & visits to the Centre for children up to 6 years old with visual impairment/blindness and additional disabilities

The Early Intervention program is enriched with weekly visits to the “Sizoe” Day Care Center, giving the children the opportunity to carry out their therapeutic programs under the same roof, in the morning hours, without unnecessary travel. The team of the programme consists of therapists of all specialties, a child psychiatrist, a psychologist, a special educator and a social worker. Within the framework of the programme and according to the individualised programme of each child, the following types of treatments are implemented at the Centre:

  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Speech therapy

In addition, the programme gradually includes:

  • Music therapy
  • Snoezelen – Visual Stimulation

The team works in a holistic approach and provides individualized services to the child and his/her family from the very first moment. Particular emphasis is placed on supporting families with individual counselling provided by the psychosocial service and with continuous information and cooperation with the special educator.