Posts

Making holidays children friendly.

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Thank God for holidays and happy 54th UAE National day, I thank God for this great country. On an ordinary Tuesday morning I would be stuck in traffic making my way to school therapy sessions but not today, am currently comfortably sipping coffee listening to Sinatra on the background. Only welcomed annoyance is my beloved mountain(Jabali) who is also enjoying having dad at home on a weekday more than the break from school. He is officially on holiday mode now that schools are closed for the winter break and it is that ambivalent time for the year for us parents to don one of our many hats(chief entertainment managers) and figure out how to keep the children engaged for the whole month. Holidays are meant to be the best time of the year especially the winter school break which for us Christians coincides with the advent season leading to Christmas. Unfortunately it can be the most stressful having learnt that from experience as a father to a typically developing son and a therapist...
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Summer Survival Guide ( Practical strategies to support carry of academic and therapy skills during the summer months)

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  If you are a parent like me then you have probably dropped your child/children to school for the last time this semester and looking forward to the summer break(albeit with mixed feelings).To be honest these break is usually a difficult time than the other shorter ones during the cooler months mostly because of the transition from academic routine and structure to the two month hot unstructured summer. Having survived the long semester of daily school drop offs/pick ups, homework and exam agony; the challenges swiftly shift to home and personally to add on to the many caps I wear on a daily basis,the entertainment manager to my son during the summer break is the least I prefer. Is the summer slide a myth or fact? Is the loss or regression of skills(either academic or therapy skills) that the children have worked hard to acquire a certainty during the summer break? As an occupational therapist working with children with high/special needs  who thrive on schedules,predictabili...
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My anniversaries month (significance both personally and professionally)

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"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend"(John 15.13 NLT ).  Happy Resurrection Sunday. Easter is probably the most important anniversary in the Christian calendar when over 2000 years ago Jesus laid down his life for us that by his resurrection we have the promise of life. In addition to Easter, I was fortunate enough to celebrate some few other anniversaries this month. 08.04.2016 is a special day forever engraved not only on my wedding ring but in my heart.They day when two became one and by Gods' grace finally betrothed my beloved.It has been 9 years of His goodness and faithfulness albeit some lemons which we have graciously enjoyed lemonade after. Our 9th wedding anniversary. 16.04.2024. First year anniversary since the floods hit Dubai/U.A.E and made us re-think climate change and remote working.In 12 hours our 'desert' country received an equivalent of a one year total rainfall. Fortunately or unfortunately one client ...
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Neuroplasticity, the art and science of "occupations"

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 Eid Mubarak, Trust all are well and enjoying the much deserved break.Fortunately found time to squeeze in a swim session for my son the 'mountain' with his favourite uncle(Nigerian swim coach) for the umpteenth time.They have a bond of which am at times jealous about,he listens to him more than dad(at times).He has been his swimming coach for the past 2 years and yes,him being Nigerian(someone looking like dad helped) cemented their bond.Good investment looking back,he swims better than both me and mom combined. Got me thinking while watching them doing their thing,same thing i do with my beloved children at the clinic.The number one complaint parents report when am picking their children from the reception area and/or dropping them back is that they 'do not listen at home',it is impossible for them to teach and generalize skills learnt in the structured clinic session back in the community.I can totally relate with them since at home my wife/mom has always been the be...
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Linking "Occupations" to Public Health

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Last week (March 8) to be precise marked the 5th year anniversary since the UAE Government announced the immediate closure of schools in efforts to contain Covid 19.This was followed by among other measures like suspending prayers in all places of worship,encouraging remote working,shopping centers closures,stay at home order,suspension of visa and flights etc. In the UAE, what was meant to be a month of remote learning and work extended to months with most schools and public places only resuming services in August 2020 under strict health and safety rules. This was replicated all over the world and globally the world had "shut down". As an allied health medic which is part of essential services ,I was fortunate enough to be issued with a movement permit which allowed for trips to/from work(to attend to the few clients who were still brave enough to make it to the clinic) and personally i still remember a chill passing next to Dubai international airport and seeing hundreds ...
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Back to School Tips for Parents of Children with Special/ Higher Needs.

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 Happy new year, Recently returned to work from a short winter break and i must confess that even after more than two decades of my working career(of which half of that has been working with children with special needs and their families),I still feel jitters going back to work.It is human and i imagine how much more it must be difficult for children (and their parents included)going back to school after a break. These transitioning challenges to a new school term are mostly present when your child has a higher/special need.After working with these families for a long time and helping them collaborate with school staff to enhance the functioning and participation of their children in the school/classroom set up,find below my top helpful back to school tips. 1.Organize all the paperwork With a new school term comes new meetings,paperwork and documentation for parents to track.This is mostly double for children/students with higher/special needs.Keeping a family calendar of school ev...
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Travelling with special needs, high needs or neurodiverse children

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  First week of July in the desert metropolis of Dubai and it is officially summer time.Temperatures are at peak high and schools will be closing for a long two month break.It is also officially travel time for families,mostly expatriates who plan in advance to be away from the scorching sun and take the time to visit their home countries or just take a much deserved vacation. According to Dubai Airports through their official website,a total of 3.3 million passengers are expected to go through their gates from July 6-17 this year, with the peak summer travel surge occurring on the weekend of July 12-14 where they expect 840 000 passengers.Daily peak passenger numbers passing through DXB(Dubai International Airport) is estimated to reach 286,000 that weekend.I can safely assume that half of the families i work with will form a small percentage of those figures. As an occupational therapist , majorly pediatric and interacting with families on a daily basis, it is that time of the ye...
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