• Address : State of Kuwait, Hawalli, Cairo Street Area 5, Street No.133, Building No. 900011
  • Time : Sunday to Thursday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm * Friday & Saturday (closed)
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People with disabilities

People with disabilities

The Society provides its services to all categories of persons with disabilities with motor, intellectual, behavioral, sensory, multiple and severe disabilities.

Types of Disabilities served by the Society

Intellectual Disabilities

They are defined as lack or incomplete brain development due to illness or injury during childhood or as a product of genetic factors. It results in a notable decrease in intellectual functions, combined with a disability in two or more adaptive behavior areas (communication, self care, family life, social skills, academic skills, health and safety).

Intellectual Disabilities are divided into a number of categories:
Mild Intellectual Disabilities

That is a decrease in general intellectual function where a patient’s IQ ranges from 52-68 on the Stanford-Binet scale. Persons suffering from mild retardation constitute 85%-90% of the total population with intellectual disabilities. Reasons for mild intellectual disabilities are often associated more with environmental factors rather than physical ones.

Moderate Intellectual Disabilities

Patients are diagnosed with moderate intellectual disabilities when their IQ ranges from 36-51 and they constitute 6%-10% of the total population of persons with intellectual disabilities. In general, these persons are able to acquire basic academic skills and initial communication skills and may become partially independent, although require supervision of some sort.

Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Persons with severe intellectual disabilities record an IQ of 20-25 and constitute 3%-4% of the population with intellectual disabilities. This type of disability warrants continuous care and supervision due to the numerous difficulties faced by those persons.

Profound Intellectual Disabilities

Persons are diagnosed with profound intellectual disabilities when their IQ level is below 20. In fact the intelligence level is usually speculated in such cases as it is not feasible to subject these persons to tests. They are generally referred to as "untestable".

Slow Learning

These are students whose IQ ranges from 70-85. The term “slow learner” indicates a below average intellectual performance but that does not quite amount to intellectual disability.

Down’s Syndrome

Down’s syndrome is named after Dr. Langdon Down who was the first to clinically describe this case, thereafter discovering its direct cause in 1866. It is defined as a congenital disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. This disorder results in varying degrees of intellectual disability and physical anomalies, even though some children inflicted with Down’s syndrome grow at a similar pace to their peers without that disorder, in so far as sitting, standing, walking and talking. However, a large segment of these children demonstrate varying delays in growth. Early intervention plays a vital role in developing the aptitude and skills of persons with Down’s syndrome in a way that diminishes the growth gap between them and their counterparts and works to limit further complications. On the other hand, these youngsters may benefit from special education programs or special classes in mainstream schools, since some learn to read and write, albeit not at the level of other children.

Sensory Processing Disorder

This is defined as a disorder or failure in any of the senses, where the sensory cells responsible for transmitting sensory stimuli to the brain are unable to do so. These disorders comprise the following:

- Visual Impairment: This is a complete or partial visual impairment that negatively influences all aspects of human growth, whether cognitive, social or emotional. Visually impaired persons require appropriate learning and training on one hand, coupled with modifications in teaching methods and additional syllabuses to fulfill their special individual needs in various areas (reading, writing, recognition and development of senses).

- Hearing Impairment: This is a far-reaching and varied disability that may be evident or hidden, thereby resulting in problems and difficulties in childhood without pinpointing the exact reasons for academic failure. Hearing impairment usually goes hand-in-hand with a number of disabilities such as Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and others.

Comprehensive Development Disorders

This is a severe yet rare behavioral disorder affecting the child’s behavior, communication and ability to think and usually becomes evident before the age of 3. Autism results in a failure to communicate and interact with others and gives rise to a pattern of odd behavior. It is characterized by the following six traits:

- Apparent sensory disability.

- Failure to establish meaningful social relationships.

- Excessive self-excitement.

- Tantrums and self-harm.

- Qualitative deficiency in verbal and non-verbal communication.

- Serious behavioral deficit.

This is a developmental disorder that only affects girls. Persons with Rhett’s disorder start to develop normally at first, then begin to forfeit acquired skills, as well as lose the individual use of their hands. It is a rarely-occurring disorder.

This is one of the developmental disorders and is characterized by the presence of a defect in social interaction. People with Asperger’s syndrome demonstrate very limited interests and their IQ level ranges between average and above average.

This is a central motor disability emanating from the damage of brain cells often occurring in the womb or immediately after birth. Children with cerebral palsy may encounter secondary disabilities and additional difficulties, most notable of which constitute the following: intellectual disability – speech and language disorders, hearing impairment, visual impairment, oral disorders, learning and behavioral issues.

- Cases with severe and multiple disabilities such as cerebral palsy, intellectual, motor and sometimes sensory. Some other cases have health problems and difficulties like epilepsy, feeding problems (difficulties in swallowing and chewing). Regarding persons with multiple disabilities the Society provides services to persons with cerebral palsy combined with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy with blindness, cerebral palsy accompanied with general developmental delay and cerebral palsy with normal intelligence.

- Some humanitarian cases, such as the death of a parent, with the child's severe disability that makes it difficult for him to be taken care of at home.