Ahmad’s parents first learned about the PHCC from a mother of a child with special needs who was served at the centre. Ahmad came to us when he was only three years and six months old. A special tailored-made plan was prepared immediately to meet Ahmad’s needs. After a detailed evaluation and diagnosis, Ahmad was diagnosed as a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In order to insure the development of Ahmad, an intensive rehabilitation plan that included Occupational therapy, behavioral and cognitive therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and special education conducted by a well-trained team was carried. Ahmad is now 10 years old. His six and a half year intervention plan consisted of 4 visits per week to the PHCC, 2 school visits per month and 1 home visit per month, in addition to continuous psychosocial intervention sessions and training for the family and support for the mother, and unlimited phone calls for consultation as well as training and sensitization sessions for school teachers and headmaster. The total number of intervention hours is 1,482.

Ahmad comes from a village that is only 15 kilometers away from Ramallah. During his time at the PHCC, Ahmad made 624 trips from his home to the centre and back. It took him almost 3 hours to cross the checkpoints and get to the centre. This accumulates to 1,872 hours on the road!

Ahmad received 1,482 hours of therapy and wasted 1,872 hours on the road and checkpoints in 6,5 years!!

Ahmad is currently integrated into a regular school; he’s now in the 5^th grade, doing well, a happy child and has friends.