Amir, an 8-year-old boy with moderate intellectual disability, resides in Birzeit in the Ramallah Governorate. He lives in a household of twelve, which includes his parents, six siblings, and himself. Among his siblings is a twin sister with cognitive delays. Amir's entry into the school program on October 21, 2023, followed a referral from the Ministry of Education due to challenges in adapting and adhering to standard educational environments.
Upon enrollment, Amir initially exhibited hyperactivity, struggling to remain seated for more than five minutes in class and easily losing focus. He also displayed very poor daily living skills, demonstrating little attention to personal hygiene, particularly in the restroom and during meals, frequently resulting in soiled clothing and messy surroundings. Additionally, he faced difficulties in cognitive areas like recognizing shapes, sizes, and colors, as well as fine motor skills such as holding a pen or spoon properly. Communication-wise, he relied on incomprehensible sounds and gestures rather than verbal expression and often disregarded social boundaries, yelling at peers and teachers and resisting classroom rules.
Following assessment by a rehabilitation and specialties team, a tailored individualized plan and behavior modification strategy were devised in collaboration with his family.
Through intensive intervention including rehabilitation, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psycho-social support, Amir made significant progress. He learned proper bathroom habits, maintained personal hygiene, and engaged in independent bathing with verbal guidance. His mealtime behavior improved, no longer resulting in spills or mess, and he even participated in cleaning up afterward. In the classroom, he showed increased focus, sitting through entire sessions and demonstrating understanding of basic shapes and colors through drawing and coloring activities.
Amir now communicates his needs, emotions, and thoughts verbally.