IDA Global Partners

EGYPT



The Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs (ADVANCE)
Maha Helali
Chairperson & Executive Director
34 Al-Nadial-Gadeed Street
New Maadi, Cairo 11434
Egypt
Telephone1:  +202 25193721
Telephone2:  +202 25193723
Fax:
Website:  http://www.advance-society.org
Email: mahahelali@yahoo.co.uk

Mission/Statement of Purpose:
To ensure a wide range of life span remedial, educational, vocational, and rehabilitation services necessary for children and adults with special needs, in order for them to proceed towards independence and better integration within the community.

Organization Services:
The ADVANCE Center offers a multidisciplinary therapeutic program. In the classroom, children are taught through activities that promote cognitive development, language, motor skills, and academic skills; which are further supported by specialized therapeutic services to students, such as speech & language therapy and psychomotor therapy, as well as social skills training, self-help training, adaptive physical education, art, and music. Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy are available for those who need it.

The ADVANCE Society has provided the choices of segregated classrooms for most of its services recipients with autism, partial integration for some whose educational program is divided between the Center and mainstream schools, and full integration for some who are mainstreamed with the assistance of qualified Support Teachers, who were trained by ADVANCE.

At present we have 9 classes catering services to 60 students aged 2 to 22. In five years time, we plan to have 4 Early Intervention Classes in the 2-5 age range, 4 classes in the Junior Section aged 6 to 12, 4 classes in the Middle Section aged 12 to 15, 6 classes in the Senior Section aged 15 to 18, 4 classes in the Transition Section aged 18-21, and then they would all move to the Adults' Program for those over 21 where they would be divided according to their abilities and independence. In ten year, we hope to have all three educational models running and affording choices for parents as per their child's best interest; i.e. self-contained classrooms, integration, and full inclusion.