Mind Institute is the leading provider of programs and services for individuals with Autism. We pride ourselves to be part of the Ministry of Public Health Funded Autism Program. Our facilities are designed in consultation with Autism specialists from the U.K. Our group therapy rooms are based on the TEACCH methodology. Our Holistic Approach to planning goals and monitoring outcomes utilizes a variety of evidence based standardized assessment tools, including the ADOS 2. Our approach is multidisciplinary and extends beyond therapy walls as we reach out to the child’s teacher, family members and caregivers. Our multidisciplinary clinical team is dedicated to supporting toddlers, children, adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and related challenges.
What is autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that affects the child’s development in two main areas; social communication/interaction and restricted repetitive behavior. ASD is associated with many other disorders; Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder. Children with Autism usually experience difficulty in areas of social interaction, social communication, cognitive flexibility (switch between thinking about two different concepts or to think about multiple concepts simultaneously), restrictive or repetitive behaviour and sensory processing difficulties. Each of these features can be present in various forms and varying degrees.
According to Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), 1 in 56 boys and one in 230 girls have ASD in Qatar.
The CDC has identified “red flags” that we should always look out for. Those are:
- No response to name calling by the age of 12 months
- Unable to point to objects to show interest by the age of 14 months
- Does not play “pretend” by 18 months of age
- No eye contact and prefers to be alone
- Unable to understand how other people feel and unable to express their own feelings
- Have delayed speech and language skills
- Repeats words and phrases over and over
- Give unrelated answers to questions
- Small changes in routine causes him/her to get upset
- Have “obsessive” interests
- Flap their hands, spin in circles or rock their body
- React differently to sounds, smell, taste, look or feel
There are a number of medical and mental health conditions that are frequently associated with ASD such as:
- Epilepsy
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Feeding
- Sleep disturbances
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
Treatment
There is no “cure” for ASD. However, there are several interventions that have proved successful and are extremely useful. Treatment has to be carried out by a multidisciplinary team to reduce symptoms, improve cognitive ability and daily skills, and improve ability to participate in the community. There is no one size fits all. Each individual with Autism, child or adult, has unique strengths and weaknesses. The specialists at Mind institute will target each individual’s needs and come up with a unique and a customized therapy plan.
As with any condition, Early Intervention is a key. Our team of clinicians will focus on behavioral intervention strategies and social communication skill development. These interventions are imperative at a young age, as that is the time when the child is naturally gaining these skills. Our team can offer the following:
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- Customized therapy plan
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Sensory Integration
- Speech and Language Therapy
- PECS Implementation
- Parent Training Services (Early Bird)
- Oral Placement Therapy
- Psychotherapy and Mental Health Services
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- TEACCH
ASD Assessments
Confirming the existence of ASD for a child can be helpful, as it enables parents, as well as others (educators and caregivers) to understand and support the child better by helping to clarify if a child requires any extra support or resources by providing the child with a customized plan that ensures his/ her progress.
ADOS 2 AssessmenT
Mind Institute uses the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) to identify the existence of ASD features and its severity.Parents would be first asked to attend an initial intake interview in which our specialist gathers information on your child’s developmental milestones, current behaviours, education and home life. The interview is very detailed and takes around 1-1.5 hours.The ADOS assessment would then be carried out over a sitting of 1-2 hours. A full report will be produced following the assessment with recommendations for home, school and therapy. A telephone follow up call is also provided for further discussions.
CARS-2 Assessment
The CARS-2 identifies individuals with Autism, based on a questionnaire with the parents and direct observation. It has proven especially useful in discriminating between children with Autism and those with severe cognitive deficits, and in distinguishing mild-to-moderate from severe Autism.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
We were worried the moment we found out that the center will be closed due to our current situation. But the family was really amazed at how the center handled the uncertainties. My son is now attending teletherapy sessions for his OT and SLT. It was quite new and challenging in the first few sessions but because of the hard work and professionalism of the team, I could say they are doing a great job! Thank you Ms. Madeeha (SLT), Ms. Lili (OT) and Ms. Azza for all your hard work to make things happen for all your students. Stay safe everyone! Eid Mubarak!
Mind Institute has always been my first and only choice when it came for special needs for my son. My son has progressed tremendously in all aspects and I’m grateful for all the hard work put in by all the therapists and assistants. I’m truly grateful to Ms Gillian (special educator) for all the hard work and her indefatigable calm and courtesy when it comes to making my son feel at home and satisfying a worried and super involved parent like me. Ms Vanessa has also developed an amazing relationship with my son and she is extremely loving and patient when it comes to calming my son down.
Best Special Needs Center in Qatar. Also, deliver adult psychotherapy.
I am so glad my daughter has joined Mind Institute and that is because of the improvement we see and feel in her overall development. We were so worried and concerned before she joined. But they have amazed us with all the intervention. She has massively developed and we are so pleased
Professional, passionate and caring! Highly recommend them.
The Mind Institute helps you fulfil your needs, it helped me improve my concentration and I made good progress with them, it also tries to help you with other aspects you didn't know you needed, because it did also try to help me with my social skills. In addition, it is very flexible with scheduling appointments.
شكرا من القلب. لقد استفاد ابني اوس كثيرا من المركز وقد تطورت مهاراته السلوكية والادراكية والنفسية واللفظية. بصراحة انصح الجميع بزيارة المركز بما له من طاقم اداري اكثر من رائع. وهية تدريس تدرك من اول يوم ان ابنك سيكون بايدي امينة. وفعلا ماشككت يوما بهذا. بحيث اني ارى الحب والدفئ في عيونهم
السلا عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته انا عاجزه عن الشكر والتقدير لكل نجمه سطعت في سماء المركز ونورت حياتي وحياة الاطفال اللي يتلقون العلاج المناسب لهم واخص بالذكر ابني فهد اقل مااقدر اوصله لكم هو عوده فهد لارض الواقع بفضل نجوم المركز المميزين وبفضل قمر المركز منال جزاكم الله الف خير على مجهوداتكم التي لا تعد ولا تحصي ام فهد محمد مصطفي
If you are looking for a professional and caring center to work with you closely to develop your child’s skills and abilities, then Mind Institute is the one. My ASD daughter has been going there for more than two years now and I have continuously been satisfied with all her progress. They know how to identify the child’s struggles, structure a development plan and address the issues accordingly. The improvement we have seen in her is amazing. She is more independent and confident now. She is going to a mainstream school two months from now and I cannot be more grateful. The whole team are hearty and care for the kids in the center. I drop my daughter there every day with confidence, knowing that she is in good hands. Mind Institute has been a lovely part of our family and we are full of gratitude for all their efforts.
بصراحة هذا المكان الافضل في قطر لذوي الاحتياجات الخاصه وهو يشمل كل الاعاقات وكل الاعمار ولاحظت تقدم كبير ل ابني وانا اتكلم عن تجربه انصحكم في هذا المكان سواء كان عنده تواحد او تواصل في النطق او تواصل بصري او اعاقة حركية وانصحكم بهذا المكان جداً جميل والتعامل جداً راقي لدرجة ان في استمراريه في الملاحظات والصور يرسلونها اول باول على الايميل ماندمت على اني حطيت ابني بينهم
My son has been attending the EIP at Mind Institute for the last 2 years. We are very satisfied with our son’s progress and with Minds personalized support and plan. I especially appreciate my son’s warm personal rapport with the teaching & assisting staff which makes our journey a whole lot easier. I’m grateful for Ms Sharon and Ms Vanessa patience and support provided to us at all times.
Excellent service. Strong and clear communication throughout, very flexible and supportive despite COVID changes. Very friendly and engaging staff, my son always felt at ease and welcome. Would highly recommend. In terms of results, excellent progress throughout therapy and sustainable results.
We have had a great experience with Mind Institute both through tele-therapy and in person. My son was so excited to attend each week and his therapist, Hafsa, was excellent. The team were professional and welcoming and I have no hesitations in recommending their services.
I am sending you to tell you about my experience with the virtual program that Mind Institute start with, because of recent situation of COVID-19 virus. As you know my Son just joined middle of February 2020. So he spent only almost 1 month and then center was closed. To be honest I found real care from all the staff for the benefit of my son. These online lessons were difficult for the first week but you and all the therapists worked hard with me and I learned a lot about how to deal with him and I came to know what type of toys are useful since you are sending us a weekly plan with all resources needed. When I ask for something or have a concern you and all Mind Institute family are available to help. Thanks a lot for your patience, hard work and support.
I’m writing this email to feedback on VIP program which we started with my son Ilia 2 weeks ago. This is absolutely incredible program which supports my sons learning/ communicative needs even during this hard time of school’s closure. I was a bit worried at first how he would react to distance learning and whether he will cope with tasks given online, but from the very first training session he grabbed the concept and just greeted his teacher as if she was in the room. I was very surprised to know that every week I will receive not only detailed plan, but also complete kit to support this plan, this is just beyond any praise! The kit includes all necessary supplies to support creative learning and it’s so easy to prepare for every session. More than that it’s tailored to my child’s needs and interests! The team was so attentive to ilia’s liking of firefighting topic so that they created the whole set for math (addition), fun games in firefighting theme! Thank you for that! The program is also helpful for me as a parent to better understand my kid, learn his strengths and spend more quality time together having fun and lots of laughs! My son loves everyday sessions and looks forward to seeing his teacher and assistants and therapists! I can’t thank you enough for presenting this amazing opportunity to families who have to organize in- house schooling. Thank you to all the MI team and see you soon on the next session!
I would like to extend my appreciation to the entire team, for their work with the VIP program. The program has been very insightful, for me as a parent. As I am able to better understand Leon’s challenge’s in a study setting/ environment. I do feel it is important to keep the activities as interactive and stimulating as possible. Because this keeps Leon engaged and focused through the session. The weekly kits, sent to us have been very well planned and organized. This has made it easy for me to understand as a parent.
خدمات التواصل عن بعد ممتازة وطريقة مثلى للاستفادة من الوقت وإعادة تنظيم جدول الحياة اليومي لابراهيم والاهم الاستمرار في الخطة العلاجية الخاصة به جهودكم مشكورة جميعا
خدمات التواصل عن بعد ممتازة وطريقة مثلى للاستفادة من الوقت وإعادة تنظيم جدول الحياة اليومي لابراهيم والاهم الاستمرار في الخطة العلاجية الخاصة به
كانت تجربة الزوم ناجحة بالنسبة لي حيث ان ليس ابنتي فقط من استفادت منه انا كذلك استفدت وتعلمت اشياء لم اكم اعرفها من قبل واصبحت اعرف كيف اتعامل مع ابنتي بطرق علميه. شكرا مايند انستتيوت كم انت رائع
It’s great seeing Myles being busy, especially doing a body parts activity. We’ve been trying so hard to get Myles to do things like that at home, but he would never do them! The only thing I think he really shows interest in is music and musical instruments! He has recently started to imitate us playing his drum kit and other little instruments like tambourine...