Early Intervention for Children in Guatemala

The following report details the progress of our Early Intervention program during the months of April through July 2018. Thanks to your valuable contributions, our program is currently attending to a total of 65 children, 30 boys and 35 girls. All of these beneficiaries receive therapy once a week. Depending on the needs of the child, some receive therapy in their homes, while others receive therapy at ADISA. Many of these children receive other therapies as well, such as language therapy, physical therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and parent-child group therapy with our psychologist. 

All these children also have an individual, specialized work plan, which is developed during their first appointments and includes their medical follow-up plan that is often carried out by specialists in the City of Guatemala. 

Once a month, we host group meetings and workshops. In Santiago Atitlán, there are two groups, one for children with Cerebral Palsy and their parents and another for children with other disabilities and their parents. Additionally, in the communities of Santa Teresita, Patulul and Cerro de Oro, we work with the parents of children with various disabilities. The purpose of these groups is for the parents to familiarize themselves with different methods of helping their children in their everyday lives and also to build a community among parents of children with disabilities, where they can share their experiences and offer and receive advice.  

This trimester, we want to share the story of Luisa. Luisa, a very happy baby that enjoyed playing and searching for objects, was born on August 16, 2014. Luisa lives with her now, one-year-old younger sister and her parents. However, even though Luisa comes from a very united family with two parents that are dedicated to helping her as much as they can, Luisa has suffered many complications. At a young age, she was hospitalized for 15 days in Sololá. Afterward, she was sent to the capital for further examination, and it was there that she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Then, on December 19, 2015, Luisa arrived at ADISA for the first time. In the beginning, she had a hard time picking up objects and did not respond well to stimuli. However, as a result of these therapies, one can observe that Luisa now communicates more with others, opens her hand voluntarily to pick up and let go of objects, uses signals to let others know what she wants, responds very well to stimuli, and is a loving and happy child that participates in all activities.