"Beit Guy" - Guy's House
"Beit Guy" was built thanks to a generous donation in 2007. It is a stunning, modern, well-equipped rehabilitation daycare center for infants aged 6 months to 3 years with special needs.
The staff includes teachers, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers & volunteers. They make extreme efforts to see that each and every infant reaches his full potential. All the infants are given the opportunity to develop skills according to their ability, to develop social skills and overcome cognitive, motor and communication problems. In the few years that "Beit Guy" has been operating, there are numerous touching stories of the achievements and triumphs of these special infants.
A couple of examples:
N. arrived at Beit Guy at the age of 18 months. He would lay on his back most of the day, repeatedly waving his arms and legs simultaneously. The staff tried reaching him and interesting him in different activities, but he did not respond. N. would not reach out to anything held out to him, did not make eye contact; he was living in a world of his own. Like all the infants in the crèche, he came on a daily basis and was accepted with love and open arms by the staff. He gradually integrated into the daily schedule, started making eye contact with games. His treatment included constant and intensive physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. He then began making contact with others and became interested in his surroundings. After 7 months there came a breakthrough: N. began making clear sounds and then began forming words. At the same time, there was a marked improvement in his hand movements, in sitting and in standing. N. began making contact with other children and the staff. He showed interest in their proximity and at the same time developed an imaginary game of his own, which was normal development for a child of his age. He began to run and speak in full, flowing sentences and his development in every field was suitable to a normal child of this age. At the age of 3, he left "Beit Guy" for a normal educational framework with no need of special assistance.
K. arrived at Beit Guy at the age of 18 months. He was passive and on drugs to prevent convulsions. He had difficulty seeing without glasses. Most of the time K. would just lie on the floor. His only interest was watching wheels go round. K. cooperated with the educational and paramedical staff, but his game playing was very poor. K. was a difficult eater. He hated and rejected most foods, refused to feed himself and preferred soft and sweet textures. The rate of progress in his first year was very slow. No efforts were saved in order to help him advance and to get him to initiate any kind of action. The first breakthrough came in his second year when he showed interest in social games. He began making sounds, forming words and 3-4 word sentences. K's posture strengthened, he learned to sit by himself and started standing with assistance. Later on, he began walking, running and speaking. He overcame his rejection of different textured food and began eating the food offered to all the children. At age 3, K. left Beit Guy for a special kindergarten for underdeveloped children.