About Us
The Assistive Technology Clinic serves children who suffer from the consequences of, developmental, neurological and complex musculoskeletal disorders. The pediatric assistive technology clinic provides an innovative out patient service where children with chronic diseases are assessed, treated and managed within the framework of a single multi-disciplinary clinic, and where best evidence and clinical research are intimately linked with each step of the process.
The clinic was established in collaboration with Qatar Assistive Technology Centre (MADA). The pediatric assistive technology team provides services to children admitted to the hospital or followed up in outpatient clinics and specialized programs
- Identifying /clarifying the needs of the child and family in relation to potential applications and uses of Assistive Technology.
- Establishing the team who will support the child and family in using Assistive Technology to meet needs identified.
- Conducting formal assessments to determine if an individual could benefit from use of Assistive Technology services.
- Discussing possible resources and AT strategies in relation to the child and family’s needs identified during formal assessment.
- Possible equipment provision / considering loaning of equipment for the child & family to trial.
- Monitoring Assistive Technology services provided to the child and family to help them meet with their identified needs.
Our Team
- Assistive Technology specialist
- Occupational therapist
- Speech language pathologist
- Special educator
Our patients:
- Children with upper limb impairments (gross motor/fine motor/limb deficiencies) who cannot manipulate regular keyboard/mouse/writing aids/tablets and phones.
- Children who have deficiency in understanding, expressive communication and/or social interaction.
- Children with visual impairments not fully correctible by lenses.
- Children with any degree of hearing impairment that impacts day-to-day functioning.
- Children with any levels of cognitive, social or biomechanical impairment that affect day to day functioning.
- Children with fluency disorders – stammering/stuttering.
- Children with voice related disorders.
Referral to The Clinics
Your primary pediatric occupational therapist or speech language pathologist working within any HMC facility can make a referral for your child to the Pediatric Assistive Technology Service.
What Will Happen After the Referral
- Referrals will be called for appointments on the basis of priority level assigned to it.
- Referrals assigned with higher priority will be called first and the remaining referrals will be called for appointment in sequence of priority and as per clinic vacancy.
- You will be contacted initially for a formal assessment session. Your child’s primary therapist (the therapist who made the referral for your child), along with the Pediatric Assistive Technology team will conduct this formal assessment session. Additionally an assistive technology specialist from Qatar Assistive Technology Centre (MADA) may be present for this session depending on assessment requirements.
- In this session your child’s Assistive Technology (AT) needs will be identified while considering family priorities.
- On assessment completion, goal setting is done by the AT clinic team along with the child’s primary therapist and parents.
- The primary therapist will work on your child’s AT goals during your child’s regular appointments on a weekly basis for a trial period of two to four weeks- as decided during the assessment with the AT team.
- Once the AT assessment is completed, the Assistive technology team will complete a report along with the AT equipment recommendations for your child and send this to MADA (Qatar Assistive Technology Centre) for agreement on provision of recommended AT equipment.
- The provision of recommended equipment is completely dependent on the discretion of MADA management staff on a case by case basis.
- In the event that MADA does not approve with any element of equipment provision, AT equipment will not be provided by MADA. In this case, a factsheet will be provided by MADA to you, to help you identify alternative sources of funding the equipment .
- In the case that MADA approves with equipment provision, you will be contacted by MADA staff to come to the MADA center and collect the recommended AT equipment.
- This AT equipment is to be carried with you for all your child’s regular appointments with your primary therapist.
- Your primary therapist will demonstrate how to use the equipment provided to work on the AT goals set for your child, during therapy sessions during the trial period assigned.
- Parents and/ or caretakers are expected to carry over the same therapy process at home on a daily basis. On completion of the trial period, there will be a re-assessment done to identify progress.
