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LIH Olivia’s Place Beijing in the Community

2017-10-21 Olivia's Place Comments Off , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Between July and September, LIH Olivia’s Place Beijing was invited to attend numerous events in the community to provide training and information for parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals.

Lectures on Child Development at Hongkong Clinic & BIBS

Milind HK ClinicOn July 27, Milind Sonawane,  Speech-Language Therapy Lead at LIH Olivia’s Place Beijing, offered a lecture to clinicians at Beijing’s Hongkong Clinic on the topic of Child Development and Pediatric Therapy. The event served as the foundation for further cooperation between LIH Healthcare and Hongkong Clinic in Beijing to continue the establishment of early screening and intervention treatment of child developmental disorders.

Milind shared his professional knowledge and experience, and discussed the future direction of pediatric therapy with clinicians in attendance. First, he introduced the general pattern of child motor development. He also talked about early “red flags” that signal concern in a child’s motor development. Through case review, Milind explained how an interdisciplinary team ( for example, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psychology) consultation) conducts a comprehensive and subsequently provides therapy services through a treatment plan. Attendees asked a lot of questions and participated in active discussion, especially on topics like interdisciplinary evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as the various therapeutic models used across countries.

This event was a tremendous success. Through exchange of experience and knowledge, LIH Olivia’s Place supports clinicians to evaluation and treat child behavior and developmental concerns.

Milind BIBSOn August 15, Mr. Sonawane lectured on child development for more than 70 teachers at Beanstalk International Bilingual School. He talked about children’s development at different stages, including the areas of gross motor, fine motor, social, cognition, and speech and language. He emphasized the significance of focusing on child development, as well as measures to take when there are “red flags” signaling concern. Teachers gained approaches to use as they identify potential problems with a student’s development.

Although each child develops at their own pace, it is possible to see what is within the range of “typical” and we look to “developmental milestones,” such as saying first words, crawling, walking, or even the age a child rides a bike the first time. When a one-year-old is not able to cruise by holding onto furniture or use a pincer grasp to pick up objects, or a three year old is lacks the basic skills to help put on clothes or climb stairs independently, these are examples of situations when early intervention may be greatly beneficial.

As an expert in speech and language, Milind also gave teachers advice on how to help children who have language delays. He explained that, when a child cannot understand your instructions or is having difficulty producing language, or cannot produce sound, it is necessary to consider the child’s ability to think, whether they have a solid language foundation in a specific language, their oral motor skills, their ability to hear and understand, and whether they need more time to answer questions. These observations will help a teacher to understand the child’s level of ability and whether to seek further assistance. Read more


Training Deepens Bond with Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village

2016-11-13 Olivia's Place Comments Off , , ,

An overwhelming majority of infants and children in China’s welfare centers have a disability. Abandoned by their birth parents because they could not care for them medically or financially, these orphans have a range of disabilities ranging from the easily treatable to high-risk special needs children.

sfcv-groupBut this doesn’t mean orphans don’t have people who love and care for them. Some of the most at-risk orphans are sent to private foster care centers around China. Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village is one of them.

 

Shepherd’s Field was started in the late 1990’s to provide a nurturing home for orphans with the greatest needs. To date, they have cared for more than 4,000 children, have provided more than 3,000 surgeries and medical procedures and have helped over 900 children find their forever families and adoptive homes. Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village is an organization that LIH Olivia’s Place is proud to work with and over the last few years, we have provided direct therapy for some of their most at-risk children. However, although effective, one-on-one therapy impacts only one child. LIH Olivia’s Place has found that by training caregivers, we can empower them with the knowledge that will benefit the children each and every day.shepherds-1

 

img_5855When Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village requested training for their caregivers, we were very enthusiastic. We have worked with Shepherd’s Field for several years, and were pleased to see the effort they put in caring for their children. In August, hosted by Shepherd’s Field, LIH Olivia’s Place conducted an impactful two-day pro-bono seminar for caregivers and therapists from Shepherd’s Field and local welfare centers in Taiyuan.

 

Titled “Feeding and Positioning,” the two-day seminar focused on feeding and positioning techniques for children with severe disabilities and the highest needs. Conducted by Eva Ma, Occupational Therapist, and Chelsey Contillo, Speech-Language Pathologist, the training provided basic knowledge on anatomy/physiology as well as hands-on practical workshops. Eva and Chelsey also conducted a number of assessments and evaluations of Shepherd’s Field children, creating impact for these children immediately!

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img_5856This two-day event also helped create a stronger relationship, trust, and bond between LIH Olivia’s Place therapists and the caregivers and therapists taking care of the children every day. It gave our therapists a chance to understand the living environment of these children so their recommendations could be more effective. Most importantly, it was a heartwarming two days working with the delightful staff and children of Shepherd’s Field.

We are now continuing direct therapy in our clinic on a pro-bono basis for a number of Shepherd’s Field children. Their caregivers also attend and receive recommendations to help the children at the end of each session. It’s wonderful to see the children progress, and the caregivers become more confident in their work. This is why we love what we do!


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