Untitled - Maltańska Służba Medyczna - Pomoc Maltańska

Maltese Center for Assistance to Children with Disabilities
and Their Families
Thanks to the efforts of the Polish Association of Knights of Malta, the Maltese Center for
Assistance to Children with Disabilities and Their Families was opened in 2006 in Kraków. The
main purpose of the Center is early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of children with
disabilities of the central nervous system. It is a day care center with kindergarten, conducting early
multi-discipline treatment of children up to 7 years old threatened with the onset of disorders. The
therapeutic methods are based on approaches which emphasize the uniqueness and specificity of
each such child and its family. When diagnosing and then conducting therapy for the child and its
family, the methods try to elicit existing strength and build on existing resources. The Center serves
children whose development is retarded, or proceeds irregularly; also children with cerebral
disorders, mental retardation, genetic defects, autism. It also provides services for families of these
children, in the form of psychological support and assistance in raising and effective stimulation of
the child’s development. The family system is an integral whole, it is the milieu which provides the
best conditions for developmental progress. It is the only center of its kind in East-Central Europe.
The Center is financed by the National Fund for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped, the City of
Kraków and the National Health Fund.
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