First Step – it is a constantly growing, developing organization where there are no barriers and where sometimes we are even ahead of time.
We are 20 years already and when we look back to cast a glance at our lived life and job performed, we can understand what we were capable of together with our children, parents and specialists and then realize even much better that human abilities have no bounds.
First Step has passed through several stages on the way of its development during these years. The first stage was accomplished with a great success regarding deinstitutionalization and creation of a model of small-group homes, the second one was dedicated to the development of child abandonment preventive and family-supporting services. And for now, after 20 years of functioning, we have reached the stage when it was necessary to create a new center, and this is – Concultation, Intervention and Therapy center (CIT) First Step.
By creating the consultancy, intervention and therapy center of First Step we promote child’s holistic development, where the main focus is made on child, family and the their surrounding environment. The center is based on child’s bio-psycho-social model and offers corresponding and necessary services.
In the new center of First Step families will be met by a team of qualified psychologists and refer them to relevant available services. Currently, any family can apply to CIT and receive consultations from pediatrician, child neurologist, occupational therapist, child, teen or young adult psychologist, speech and language therapist, surdologist on any desired topic related to children’s development.
Children at risk of developmental delays will be served by EI specialists at home, kindergartens or in any other natural-for-child environment. For children with special needs there are various therapeutic methods introduced, such as: behavioral therapy, Early Denver Model, Floortime, Group therapy, Sensory therapy, Feeding Therapy and Speech and Language therapy.
