You are not covered!

Usually this is an information blog, however, when I look back what happened to me today I decided I needed to write about this experience.

When I did my doctorate thesis, I did it on the difference in special education in the US vs Oman. This unfortunately is another slap in the face for Omani parents with special needs children or children with learning problems.

My son had an appointment this morning with Dr. Laura Do Vale, one of the leading psychologists in Muscat for children with learning disabilities and for children with other handicaps.  While I am a Dr. in educational psychology, I choose not to assess my own children. So my son’s pediatrician had recommended Dr. Laura.

We are covered by one of the largest insurance company in Oman- however when I went into the clinic they informed me that educational testing, IQ testing and behavior therapy are not covered under his medical insurance. Needless to say, I was shocked.

Then I started to think about the autistic children, children with ADHD and other conditions that need these services. Most children with autism as well as children with severe ADHD need bi-weekly behavior therapies. I was wondering if other parents were having the same problem with their insurance companies.  I asked some parents at the center, they said absolutely these services are not covered with their insurance plan. Either they have to take them to government hospitals or pay large sums of money at private hospitals and clinics.

In the United States, most HMOs or insurance companies are paying for psychological services for children that have been diagnosed with a learning difficulty or a handicap?  It is very frustrating to parents in Oman that this service is not being covered by insurance companies in the Sultanate. It is another step backwards for special education in Oman.

The insurance companies here need to look at the situation for special education students and cover this part of their medical. This is a very imperative part of the success of a child with learning disabilities and most important for an autistic child. The child needs mass sessions of behavior therapy and the parents need the guidance of a experience child psychologist.

Activites for special education children

Here's some good and fun activities suggestions for autistic children, However, most of these activities can be used for all special education children.

1. You could play with him in a swimming pool. Make a splashing game or a kick game. Get some simple pool toys or beach toys like beach ball, floating rings, etc. Sing a song so he could swim with the beat and feel relax. Remember to keep a good eye on the child while in a pool.

2. In a class, you could print out some pictures of eating, sports, going to the bathroom, sleep and everything that may happen in his daily life. Let him make a schedule for himself, he should like this activity, because children with autism take constant schedules very seriously. And if the schedule they followed everyday is broken, it will ruin their day badly.

3. Big tupperware items filled with rice or beans will be fun, you can put little toys in them and have the autistic child put his hand into the rice or beans to find them. The game could make a mess, but they would love it.

4. Sensory play is widely suggested, too. You could take the child to a children's museum if there's one nearby. Commonly, there will be something that could interests the child.

5. Structured activities with a clear start, middle and end are always good for children with autism because they like rules, organization and structure. Gymanasitics is a common game that autistic children do well at since there is less reliance on language(children with autism often have little communication skills) but a lot of motor movement and imitation.

6. If music can calm the child down, you can introduce different instruments to him, with some music playing gently in the background. You can let him beat a drum and learn different rhythms.

7. There are some therapeutic horse riding groups that you can participate in, children can learn to feed and take care of horses in their lessons.

8. Every child with autism is different, you should find out his likes and dislikes and continue to do the things he seems to enjoy.