Syeda Amtul

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH —  "Hope for Exceptional Needs" in collaboration with the Sheraton group of hotels will arrange a two day free annual screening assessing for young children to see if he/she has any kind of disability or disorder or delay in development, at its premises here.



The screening will take place on Thursday, November 22, from 5:00pm - 9:00pm; and Saturday, November 22, from 10:00am - 4:00 pm.



Since there is no lab or blood test to tell if your child may have a developmental delay, speech or physical problem, the screening will help tell parents if their child needs to see a specialist for further tests.



Uzma Raheem, director of Hope, said: “This is the first collaboration of many that Hope for Exceptional Needs is hosting jointly with the Sheraton group of hotels. Our intention is to raise awareness and to reach out to the community and to educate people on hidden disabilities and disorders. We have allotted two days during the month of November for the free screening."



She added: “We are conducting a simple diagnosis for the children to find out whether they need any sort of assistance in four major areas: speech, physiotherapy, psychological and educational. We are also doing IQ testing an d checking to diagnose for any kind of disability or disorder.”



Screening will help with the detection of the disability, if not recognized or known earlier. Many children experience delay in talking. Children who show delay in physical milestone are required to undergo screening. If the problem is identified early, then the child can receive the required therapy or treatment before starting school.



According to Raheem, children who show hyperactivity and attention problems also have problems with reading, spellings and retaining matter, in addition to writing problems like illegible writing.



Francois Waller, general manager at Jeddah Sheraton, said: "For all associates working for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the mother company of Sheraton Hotels, the concept of social responsibility is to give back to the community where you live and work. Hope is an institution that serves the under privileged and we encourage our associates to participate and volunteer in support of these children who are less fortunate than us. Our slogan for this activity is 'Starwood Cares for the Community' and act 'Together As One' which highlights our united effort to this noble cause.”



Parents have to call up the Hope center ( 699 6475, 6995246, 6940984 [ 0566956887 -mobile])from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm between Sunday to Thursday to book their slots in advance.