[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="36190,36189,36188"] Faiza Rizvi Saudi Gazette Hope Center caters to children with exceptional needs and is all set to hold the second edition of their Annual Pediatric Screening, which will be offered free of cost on Saturday from 9am until 5pm at their premises in Jeddah. Children showing signs of autism and related disorders are eligible to attend the free screening. Moreover, kids facing problems with reading, writing and comprehension, speech and hearing related issues, gross and fine motor delays, difficulties with sensory processing, delays in developmental skills such as socialization, are also encouraged to attend. Dr. Uzma Raheem, Director of Hope Center, invites parents of children with the abovementioned signs to get their children assessed. Hope is the only life skills center in Saudi Arabia that offers services for over 16 disorders and caters to 23 different nationalities of diverse cultures making it the only multilingual and multi-cultural organization in the Kingdom "We are constantly striving to broaden our vision and expand our services," Dr.Uzma told Saudi Gazette. "No stone is left unturned to ensure that the services are available to as many children and families as possible." Winning nine international awards for its excellence in services, Hope Center for exceptional needs focuses on teaching life skills and functional academics. What began with a single room center now boasts of a two-villa space offering therapies, skills and special education. She explained that most of the centers in Jeddah focus on autism and down syndrome while there are many other disabilities that are still not receiving much needed attention and care, adding that the philosophy of her center rests on focusing on the capabilities of the special needs children, while disregarding their disabilities. "We are our toughest competitors, as we are forever striving to excel our current standards and achievements. My dream is to have a state of the art center, with branches all over the Kingdom which are at par with international standards," she added.
