Dr. Mitra Chini, Co-Founder and Partner of Pure Child Health
Dubai-based Dr. Mitra Chini shares how her personal experience led her to establish Pure Child Health
Published: Wed 29 Nov 2017, 11:00 PM
Updated: Thu 30 Nov 2017, 1:00 AM
Dr. Mitra Chini moved to Dubai with her husband in 2001, from Paris. She had their first child in 2004. But in 2007, her son who had perfectly developed neurotypically till the age of three, started to lose his previously acquired skills.
She shares, "By the fall of 2007, his regression was so severe that his voice was completely gone. It has taken my family and me 10 years of patience and struggle to bring my son's voice back slowly but surely, day by day.
"Going through our son's recovery journey and my own personal maturity cycle to deal with this have certainly been the most precious life lesson I have ever received. Pure Child Health reflects my story as well as the skill and expertise of the experienced therapists we have gathered to make a difference in Dubai."
Chini is the Co-Founder and Partner of Pure Child Health and highlights that the centre has been built to support children with delayed developmental milestones and adolescents who experience challenges with their speech, motricity, behaviour and daily routines, holistically. It supports children and young adults who suffer from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD), Autism, Cerebral Palsy and other neurological as well as neuro-immune conditions.
Pure started its first Dubai-based health centre four years ago with the Pure European Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Centre in Dubai Media City. They opened another similar health centre in Dubai Motor City. Pure Child Health is the latest project and the centre does not only look at a child's health but also at how parents can be further enabled to support their loved ones.
"In my own journey as a parent and despite being a health specialist, I knew very little about Autism. I had a very limited understanding when I was initially told back in 2007 that my son might be Autistic. Parents of children with developmental delay and special needs still go through significant pain and need assistance," Chini says. "The lack of adapted support can take parents through extra personal challenges including depression. No child can be helped unless parents acquire the willpower to make a difference in the life of their loved one."
Chini points out that when a child is diagnosed with a disability, parents in Dubai often have to visit different clinics to meet their child's needs, and therapies can often be segmented or isolated.
Pure Child Health has a multi-disciplinary team that uses a family-centred approach to enable every child and young adult achieve their optimal potential. The team works closely together to ensure the best outcome for the child is achieved by coordinating the child's care plan through a key therapist.
She highlights, "We recognise the fact that the family is most familiar with their child's needs. Hence, we aim to enable them to understand and help their child through play-based therapies, parent education and working collaboratively to achieve identified goals. We offer free consultation to explain how we can help and support any individual case. We then take the parents through the steps and ways to support the child's development."
Furthermore, the centre offers parents, teachers and caregivers training and support in order to empower those closest to the child to understand their child's needs. The centre facilitates special groups such as social skills, handwriting, and motor skills. They offer inclusive sports and recreational activities for families whereby they consult with coaches, to ensure the activities are accessible for children of all abilities. The centre will also be running free parent and teacher workshops for the remainder of 2017.
Chini concludes by saying, "I look forward to seeing the day whereby 'determined' children and young adults will enjoy complete inclusion within the society be it where education is concerned, as well as later on when they venture out to seek employment."
- deepa@khaleejtimes.com
Services provided
- Paediatric chiropractic
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Paediatric Physiotherapy (PT)
- Speech and Language Therapy (SLT)
- Behavioural therapy
- Inclusive sport and recreational activities
- In early 2018, psychology and diet services will also be added.