The psycho pedagogic program is an individualized program for children with:

• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Mixed special development disorders
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders
• Mental Disability.

The program includes meetings of a specific time, on a weekly basis, it is individualized, or it can be combined with other therapeutic programs.

The aim of the program is to improve the behavior, the communication and the development of the cognitive aspects of the child or the teenager.

The objective of the program is to help the child adjust to the environment, develop the “being taught” skill, improve communication, educate the children with autism in order to function in a more independent way in the community, feeling safe and autonomous.

Moreover, its goal is to improve cooperation, increase the time of work, develop organizational and concentration skills and improve their image and confidence.

The aspects which are evaluated and worked on this program are:

• Communication and Interaction: Based on the child’s skills, they build the development of communication through games and songs of interaction and alternative ways of communication (PECS, Makaton etc).
• Cognitive fields which aim at getting the child acquainted with the environment and at conquering basic cognitive skills. For example:
• Identification of same objects, same colors etc.
• Categorizing and dividing into groups, for example, animals, fruit, clothes, vegetables etc.
• Identifying objects (name, function, property) and imitating simple moves of the body and moves of using an object.
• Body knowledge: It shows and names all the parts of the body.
• Memory

Visual memory:

It enhances the ability to remember an amount of visual information, such as letters, numbers, colors.

Acoustic memory: It enhances the ability to remember acoustic surrounding information, such as home address, phone number.

Time-space orientation: All the concepts of space are proceeded, such as on, out, up etc and the concepts of time, such as seasons, days, months etc.

• Gross and fine motor skill (it performs activities which activate big muscles or muscle groups like walking, running. The gross motor skill is the basis of organizing and performing fine motor skills, such as getting dressed, writing etc.
• Visual kinetic coordination (development of coordination aiming at the development of certain skills, for example, tying shoe laces, copying etc).
• Construction of structures using different materials, aiming at gaining knowledge through multi-sensory activities.
• Interactive games with the therapist, games with rules and free game (hide and seek, ball, finger dolls,- board games without a prearranged scenario- using as an only “tool” the children’s imagination and the development of their new ideas.
• Prewriting and writing, prereading and reading prearithmetic and arithmetic.
• Self-servicing (trained in daily activities, such as getting dressed, washing up, buying from the stores, which aim at self-servicing).

The evaluation and the program are applied in an organized environment (following the principles of the TEACCH method and for every child it is planned an individualized program, based on its abilities, skills and needs. The Psycho- pedagogic program can be implemented online too, if access to the premises is not possible, with an individualized support of the child and the parents.

Logotherapy is the science that deals with the difficulties in interaction in speech and talking.

The services of logo-therapy, which are provided in our center, are focused on difficulties in the flow (for example, repetition of words and syllabus, speech blocking) and in articulation, in phonology and phonological awareness, in expressing and understanding oral speech, and also focuses on the difficulties of the use of speech (appropriate use of speech and language, depending on the content of communication and the social condition).

More specifically, logotherapy helps the children to articulate in the correct way phonemes, to produce speech in a normal rhythm, to produce oral speech with the correct grammar and syntax, to understand oral speech, to develop expressive and cognitive vocabulary, according to their age. Through logo therapy the children also acquire narrative and description skills. An important goal for us is to develop skills for efficient communication.

The rehabilitation program of logotherapy is individualized and adjusted to the needs of each child and of all ages.

Occupational-therapy is addressed to children (from infants to teenagers), who have developed cognitive, emotional, kinetic and social type disorders. It is involved actively, aims and offers solutions, through specially selected activities/games to problems regarding basic aspects of their normal development.

Moreover, it contributes to the prevention of the development of difficulties. Occupational-therapy plays a part in the development, the maturing and the improvement and maintaining of the skills. Through therapy the target is to achieve functionality in the greatest extend possible for every child, so as to be able to interact with its environment in every day life, both at home and at school.

It is a specialized program which involves mainly children and teenagers with dyslexia and general learning disabilities. Moreover, it involves the rehabilitation of learning disabilities related to Pervasive Developmental Disorders, such as autism or related to mental disability.

The program is individualized and completely adjusted to the special educational needs and the special learning speed of each student. Its objective is to improve their skills with an emphasis not only on the written but also on the oral speech.

In the beginning of the program, a learning evaluation takes place, performed by qualified instructors and based on the results, an individualized program is made for each student, focusing on their needs, weaknesses and skills. The therapists share their opinion in order to have a completed view about the method that they will practice for each student. At the same time, they provide the student with a study schedule and daily planning, aiming at a constant support and consequently, a more effective rehabilitation of the difficulties they face.

We shouldn’t omit to point out that the effectiveness of this program is directly related to the regular   communication and sincere cooperation with the family and the school environment of each child and teenager, promoting a holistic way of approach that our Center applies, since we think each student as an inseparable member of all the community units that they belong.

Music-therapy is the clinical use of music in order to achieve individualized or group goals, so as to improve physical, social and mental health. Through creation and expression, music becomes a way of communication and interaction between the person and the therapist. Music therapy enriches the lives of many people as an alternative way of communication. It is addressed to a wide range of people with:

• Pervasive Development Disorders
• Down Syndrome and other syndromes
• Heavy Disabilities (mental and kinetic)
• Emotional and Anxiety Disorders
• To people who are not able, have difficulty or do not wish to use speech as a way of expression.

Music in therapy: The clinical use of music for the improvement of physical and mental health. “How each person responds to music as it is an innate trait and how the therapist and the patient gradually build the meeting through clinical improvisation” (playing with musical instruments).

Listen to Efi Villou, Music-Therapist-Consultant of Mental Health in the Department of Child and Adolescent of the Child and Adolescent’s Center.

What is LEGO based Therapy?

A program for the development of social skills, which helps children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and difficulties in communication and social interaction. The program is based on the structured, systematic and predictable nature of the LEGO’s, which are appealing and attract children with difficulties in social interaction.

How does a therapy based on LEGO Therapy work?

Playing with LEGO is a multi-sensory technique, which can be applied in different environments and with many adjustments. This means that it can be adapted according to each child’s needs.

What are the results of a LEGO based intervention?

An intervention based on LEGO results in better communication skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other difficulties in social interaction. This kind of therapy, which takes place through playing, improves the children’s ability to change their behavior, to understand and speak about their emotions, to solve problems and be more aware of the environment where they live and move, more than any other game therapy.

It involves therapeutic programs based on the use of technology and are practiced by expert therapists from distance. It involves children and teenagers who are not able due to serious reasons to come to a rehabilitation center.

More specifically, the distance therapeutic programs which are provided involve:

• Speech disorders- talking and communication
• Rehabilitation of learning difficulties
• Psycho-social intervention for social and emotional development
• Parents’ Consulting

Parent Consulting is a significant part of supporting the family frame and a dynamic, lively cooperation between the therapist and the parents. Through this process the therapist helps the parents recognize the child’s abilities, skills and difficulties. The relationship that the therapist and the parents build is of great importance and essential significance for the development of both parents and children. It supports and strengthens the varied and demanding role of the parents. Through consulting, they accept the causes which make them worry in their child’s behavior, understand their needs and are trained with individualized advice, so as to deal with them. The objective is that parents can learn that they can help their child themselves grow up emotionally and become independent, so as to grow into a healthy and happy adult.

Marte Meo Consulting

Through an optimistic look the parents are required to function, trusting their own abilities. The Marte Meo approach is a way of consulting and psycho-training of the parents, which gives them the opportunity to enhance the development of the necessary skills of their children in order to perform their daily tasks.

• Recreational Group “Svoura”: Through recreational-creative activities and experience games (fairy-tale dramatizing, music kinetic, arts and crafts), we achieve socialization, expression encouragement and cultivation of emotional development.
• Day Summer Program: Children take part in a range of activities with games, action and outdoor excursions. Our programs are planned and put into practice exclusively by experienced therapists and are based on the development stages of each child. The objectives of the program are the collaboration, the development of skills in real life conditions and the acquisition of stimulants.

• Children-psychiatric Evaluation and Observation
• Psychological Evaluation (intelligence scale tests, projection tasks)
• Sensory Completion Program
• Psycho-social Intervention for social and emotional development
• Parents’ Groups
• Evaluation of School Readiness.