Quality Life Discoveries

Quality Life Discoveries was recently inaugurated last July 19, 2008. Attended by families, friends and representatives from various sectors of the medical/paramedical fields, the event was initiated by a Eucharistic celebration led by Fr. Anderson Monteiro de Rezende, FDP and Fr. Eugene Castilla. This was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing of the center facilities.  Welcome remarks were given by Ma. Theresa Mariano of  Social Services Development Department of the Quezon City Government (in behalf of the Honorable Mayor Feliciano Belmonte) citing the need to provide quality services to the residents of the city, especially to those who are underprivileged. Mary Ann Cua, managing director of Quality Life Discoveries then gave a moving speech recounting her son Jared’s ordeal with cerebral palsy, emphasizing the challenges faced while undergoing various treatments and therapies around the world. She also shared events inspiring her to establish a center which aims to provide fellow Filipinos access to quality services which was only available abroad before. A brief lecture about the status of leading pediatric conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome, Autism and ADHD in the Philippines was offered by Dr. Francis Xavier Dimalanta, one of the country’s leading developmental pediatricians. The clinical director of Quality Life Discoveries, Christian Oliver Cruz, then gave a presentation of the various programs of the center and how these may provide solutions for its clientele. An open-house during the afternoon gave the guests and visitors a glimpse of the center’s outstanding facilities and an understanding of its many programs and services. All in all, the inauguration was a success, a perfect landmark event commemorating the 30^th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.

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We, at Quality Life Discoveries, cannot overemphasize the importance of EARLY INTERVENTION in the success of any treatment. The earlier the child is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chances of life-long benefit and recovery.We will offer early intervention and intensive treatment to children with special needs with the mission of helping parents improve the quality of life of their differently-abled children. Children with neurological abnormalities deserve to enjoy life just like the well kids.

Early Intervention

Early intervention is composed of multidisciplinary and coordinated special services and/or programs that aim to help or provide support to at risk children (under three years) and their families. The programs are designed to address the needs of infants and toddlers who were identified to exhibit delays/ lags in development at the early stages of their disabilities.

Delays can be seen or may be present in one or more of the following developmental areas: physical development, cognitive development, social or emotional development, communication and adaptive development:

Physical Development – composed of gross motor skills (body, trunk and leg movements—sitting, standing, walking etc.), fine motor skills (involves face, hand and finger movements—reaching, grasping, writing, etc), vision and hearing, motor planning and sensory integration ( the ability of the brain to receive, process and learn from sensations such as touch, sight, taste, movement, sound, smell and the pull of gravity in order to develop the other skills)

Cognitive Development – refers to thinking and/or reasoning skills or the child’s ability to take in, process and understand information and solve problems

Social or Emotional Development – includes the child’s ability to relate (engage in interpersonal relationships) with other children or adults in an age and culturally appropriate manner

Communication – consists of language skills: receptive language skills or the ability to understand what is being said and follow directions and expressive language skills or the ability to indicate one’s needs/wants, thoughts or feelings

Adaptive Development – involves self-help skills or the child’s ability to perform daily activities such as feeding, dressing, grooming, bathing, toileting

We strongly believe that every child has the right to live a full and quality life. That is, the child should be properly nurtured to allow him to achieve his maximum potential. A child’s future potential is to a large extent critically determined by the child’s first three years of development. Early detection of developmental problems or lags and sourcing the appropriate, intensive programs can improve the child’s chances of living a productive and fulfilling life in the future.

Monitoring a child’s growth and development is essential in evaluating if the child is receiving the age-appropriate care that he needs to ensure a decent and productive life. Knowing what a child does and how he learns at a certain age in development (milestones) will help you in determining if the child has deviated from the typical or normal path. (Several Developmental Checklists are available on the Internet to help you monitor your child’s development. May check the following websites: Monitoring Development, Red Flags).

Parents, caregivers and professionals (such as pediatricians) must work hand in hand in monitoring a child’s growth and development. They must be quick in recognizing conditions/situations that will require a child to be seen by a specialist for immediate evaluation.

We advise parents and caregivers to voice out concerns on their child’s growth and development. The sooner a developmental problem is recognized, the faster the intervention can be done, and the greater the likelihood of the problem being met or addressed.

A parent or caregiver can report observations on the child’s growth and development to his/her pediatrician. Once a child is determined to have lags or delays in development, the physician refers the child and his family to other specialists for further evaluation and validation if the child really requires an Early Intervention Program.

Our Center has a team of well- and specially- trained professionals who work collaboratively to meet the special needs of your child:

Developmental Pediatricians – performs evaluation and monitoring of the child’s overall growth and development

Physical Therapists – evaluates and addresses concerns in physical and motor development

Occupational Therapists – evaluates addresses deficits in sensory integration, behavioral, adaptive (such as feeding) and fine motor skills

Speech Therapists– evaluates addresses delays in speech and language development

• 2005 NICHCY Parent’s Guide: Finding help for young children with disabilities (birth-5).2nd ed. USA: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• 2001 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Checklist (A joint project of Phil Dept of Educ, Phil Dept of Health, Phil Dept of Social Welfare and Development, Aus AID, unicef, Phil Council for the Welfare of Children)
• http://www.firstsigns.org/
• First Signs: A physician’s guide in New Jersey