Regional Non-Profit Social Organization "Center for Curative Pedagogics

Center for Curative Pedagogics is a non-governmental organization that since 1989 has filled a gaping hole in the state provision of care and support children with special needs (autism, mental retardation, CP, Down syndrome and other) and their families. Our mission is to help people with special-needs, to provide them with their right to rehabilitation, education and a worthy life. The rehabilitation program of our center, the largest in Russia so far, is based on the following activities: * helping children with severe speech pathology, deep mental disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, genetic syndromes and severe neuroses; * preparing children with behavioral and emotional disorders for school; * helping young children with developmental disorders, who are not accepted in schools; * providing out-patient reception and consultations, therapy through the applied arts, pre-professional training for teenagers with developmental disorders (ceramic, printing and other workshops); * social adaptation in a summer integrative camps. The age of the children who get help in CCP is from birth up to 18 years old. Each child in the Centre also receives individual training course. Our experts work in a command – special teachers, speech therapists, physicians (neurologists, psychiatrists and pediatricians), specialists in sensory integration, psychologists, play-, music-, and art- therapists, physical therapists, etc. Simultaneously more than 1000 children receive help in the Center. Helping families: In Russia, families that bring up a special-needs child meet serious social, psychological and training problems. Thus, we do our best to provide parents with psychological support and information. Partnership relations between specialists and parents help to look at a child anew, to revive belief in future prospects of a worthwhile life for the child and for the family in whole. Specialist training programs: The Center’s experience attracts the interest of our colleagues from many regions of Russia, (CIS) and Baltic countries. Since 1994 our colleagues visited the Center for a training period to adopt our methods of working with handicapped children. Moreover we have held international and interregional seminars. Protection of children’s rights: In Russia, the status of handicapped child is disastrous. That is why we provide juridical family support for protection of children’s rights. Together with parents, we also try to influence the authorities. The Center is a co-author of Alternative and Independent Reports and Comments on the situation of children in the Russian Federation for the United Nations. The Center has elaborated and submitted to the Russian Government suggestions on an overhaul of the disabled children’s rehabilitation system: the proposed economical and management measures will encourage parents to keep a special-needs child in the family, on one hand, and on the other hand, – will allow a creation of a developed child welfare infrastructure. CCP analyzed the Russian legislation and identified ways for parents to access benefits for their children. This information has been widely disseminated among parents, professionals and government officials. It is currently used by CCP in its policy advocacy efforts and in its support of parental activism. Publishing: In collaboration with a publishing house «Terevinf» CCP has published several books, a lot of materials, results of researches, manuals for parents and specialists as well as in Russian and foreign languages.