Article, day in the life.

A Day with the Special Needs Children

An ordinary day in the life of NPH Guatemala's niños especiales.
31 May 2013 - Guatemala 

There are fifteen special needs children, or niños especiales, that live together in a section at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos™ Guatemala. They have a very different life than the other children at the home, with days consisting of a combination of classes, therapies, and time in the section. This article follows the daily life of the special needs children at NPH.

Francisca matches a number on the wall with help of volunteer Katie. [7/8]

The day begins at 5:30 am as the children wake up in their section, which is commonly called Castillo Mágico, or the Magic Castle. Depending on their level of independence, the tíos, or caregivers, may help them wash, dress, and generally get ready for the day ahead. Then they eat breakfast at 6:15 in their section.

Mornings are a happy mixture of appointments with therapists, class in the integrated classroom at the school, and group therapies with the tíos in the section. The group work prepared by the tíos is intended to continue their education and keep the children engaged and active during the day. Physical exercises, drawing in coloring books, various art projects, or reading a story aloud are examples of the kids’ morning activities in Castillo Mágico.

There are two classes of niños especiales in the integrated classroom. One group of four students attends the earlier class from 8:00 until 10:15 in the morning. After a short break, another group has class from 10:45 to 1:00 in the afternoon. Teacher Alba instructs the special needs kids in the standard curriculum for their respective academic levels, but includes much more individual attention for each child. Today, Alba teaches about the weather and the kids build diagrams of various storms to hang from their ceiling.

Therapies are even more specialized for each child and are coordinated by the pscyho-pedagogy department. A number of therapies are available to the kids, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and individual therapy. The purpose of the therapies is to develop and expand on the children’s current capabilities to provide them with a higher quality of life.

Following the morning’s activities, all of the kids return to their section for lunch at 1:00 pm, which several tíos and children had previously collected from the main dining hall. After lunch, the special needs children have an occupational workshop with their care givers in which they work with their hands to develop their abilities. They have also recently begun doing an hour of work in the home once a day in the vegetable garden. The work gives the children the opportunity to learn more about where their food comes from and the chance to be a part of growing the food that they will eventually eat.

The afternoon concludes and the children sit down for dinner at 5:30 pm. After the meal, they prepare for bedtime. They change into pajamas, brush their teeth, and are ready to go to sleep by 6:30 pm. At 7:00 pm, the niños especiales are sleeping soundly in their beds.

Caitlin Zanoni   
Communications Officer