Others are developing occupational therapy training programs, and others are involved in fitting wheelchairs for up to 2,000 children who currently need them. Their development must be monitored very carefully and if necessary, appropriate intervention supplied to prevent delayed or abnormal development. Under the old Soviet medical model, children with neurological disorders were left untreated until the age of three, allowing them to develop painful contractures and crippling deformities, speech, language and feeding disorders, and cognitive delays. Up until now, many families turned their children over to state-run institutions where youngsters were given inadequate or inappropriate treatment. The CMMB-funded intervention program teaches neurologists, speech therapists, and physical therapists effective methods of treatment, using inexpensive equipment such as large plastic balls, mats, and rolls.
Parental training is also an essential component of the program.
In many cases, children will have access to good treatment closer to their homes, and will no longer need to be sent to institutions. We have 24 highly skilled professionals, thanks to them. With additional support, Ciuberkis said he plans to establish similar programs elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Agencies in Poland, Hungary, and Romania have requested trainers, and the Ministry of Education in Lithuania is requesting more courses for doctors and therapists. CMMB is now assessing the potential for replicating the program.