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Developmental Centre seeing its own results Val 22 . Watertoo amigo. WM. Douala: 1., 1m" By Ron Kellestilc The dark-haired boy lean- ed over the table, concen- trating on the wooden blocks in front of him. He reached for one Mock, then changing his mind picked up another. When it fit perfectly in the slot he clapped his hands in triumph and gave a silent shout of deljght. The child is mentally re- tarded, and treasures his moments of accomplish- ment. This is a scene which is common to the Developmen- tal Centre in Waterloo. The centre was opened in Sep- tember. of 1972 to provide a nursery school and training centre for mentally retard- ed children. [TRIED There are two main pro- grams now in operation. The nursery program is designed for children two to six-years-old as prepara- tion for further education in schools for the retarded or other special schools. They are given training to develop their attention spans and the motor skills necessary to use their body. What comes naturally to most people must be learned by the retarded. There is also some preparation given for group work, including training in. reading readi- _ high SALVATIII All" 171 King St. use“; FAMILIES APPRECIATE Mm FINE . CHAPEl FACILITIES F anon! Home I rd. thwart B. 4i5oott THRIFT STORE 41 KING ST. NORTH. WATERLOO Clothing For Men, Women and Children URGENTLY IN NEED OF: ' ‘Clothing " Furniture HOURS: 9a.m. to 4p.m. daily . Appliances. etc. Please Call 578-3130 for pick up We are ness and number concepts. The activity program is for children aged two to is who are severely retarded and have multiple handi- gaps, both physical and emotional. They are not able to cope with the usual schools and the centre tries to help them function more normally. This is accomplished through training in basic daily living skills and in- creasing a child's aware- ness of" the surrounding world. _ In both programs in- dividualized attention is em- phasized. especially" in the activity program where there is a greater range of disabilities. Paul Davock. director of the centre since its incep- tion, points out there is one basic goal in the centre's work. "That goal is to develop the fullest potential of ev- ery child making sure not to frustrate, but also to give the maximum amount of stimulation. Our emphasis is on providing a program that will give the children a feeling of self-esteem. "We hope every kid will reach their maximum level so they may stay with their parents and live in the com- munity," he said. _ The centre, located at 115 University Ave. E., present- ly helps 38, children, 20 in the nursery program and 18 in the activity program. Each child is given a pro- gram fitted to their indivi- dual needs. A child's de- velopment is guided through different types of play ac- tivity. "Although it often appears unstructured or unplanned, every activity is designed for ongoing development. While everyone else may be doing sensory play, different children will be doing an- other thing. depending upon which level they are work- ing at," Davock said. One play activity invol- ves the use of a "sound bag" which contains rattles. har- monicas, sticks and bells. The child first listens mhe Family The sound of the object and then mugt choose the identical object from the bag and makethesound. Since the centre has a full-time staff of, only 12 people, the emphasis on individual attention places great importance on volun- teer help. . One of the main aims of the centre is to better the community's understanding of retarded children. "The best way for people to understand retardation is to work with the children. When you get to know the children and see what they're really like, you can't have the same view you had before," Davock said. There are now 120 volun- teers working approximate- ly three hours weekly but this is not enough to give each child the one to one attention the centre wants. At least another 125 volun- teers are needed. Volun- teers don't need previous experience working with children. A training pro- gram is given. but the real learning is done through practical experience. "The volunteers are the backbone of our program. We have mothers,, retired people, students and other people from the com- munity now working with us. We would especially like to have more people from the community as volun- teers because most students are not available through- 621 KING WEST, kiTCHENER - 745-9495 'aiTG"i7Ei"m Nursery school instructor Marty Moses of the Developmental Centre in Waterloo takes time out to play with four-year-old Patrick (centre) and seven-year-old Robbie (right). The Centre. opened in 1 972 offers nursery school and a training centre for mentally retarded children. ond of the object and then out the year. But we dearly for others the learning' is the facilities of the centre. ugt choose the identical want more volunteers," a continual, but slow de- There is a waiting list Iject from the bag and Davock explained. velopment. We -are malt- children to be admitted in ake the sound. The centre is now going ing progress. It may be the Developmental Cent Since the centre has a through a self-evaluation slow but it is definitely pro- but Davock urges any pa Ill-time staff of only 12 process in order to deter- gress." _ ents with retarded ch illiTNEtliT El FUNERAL HIM ' CHAPEL Cont: when! Parking, entering Wedirtgton or King Street The centre is now going through a self-evaluation process in order to deter- mine-its future needs. It is trying to find out the num- ber of retarded children in the area and what the chil- dren's needs are now. "Our biggest concern is the number of people in the community we don't know about and those who don't know about us. We'd like to offer programs to more people," the director said. The staff is now seeing some of the results of their work over the past two years. "We're feeling really good about what has happened so far. The feedback from schools tells us that kids from here have definite ad- vantages over other retard- ed children," Davock said. People working at the cen- tre are pleased, with what they have achieved so far and hope to continue their individualized programs with the help of more volun-s Davock sees the centre offering a service which was not available to retarded children in the past. "In another time and place certain people would have been left out and ignor- ed. They would never have been given a chance to learn. “New they are learning. Some learn quickly. while The centre was built aCit cost of $287,000, financed, largely by the provincial government, as an out- growth of a federal winter works program called Pro- Ject Daycare. A kitchen and gymnasium are included in St. John's Catholic Wo- men's League is giving Santa Claus a boost. Members are placing box- es at the back of the church for next Sunday for parish- ioners to donate nearly-new toys and children's sports equipment such' as skates and skis. They will be do. nated to the K-W Catholic Social Services for distri- bution to needy children at Christmas. At a Christmas potluck supper members decided to give donations to the Kitch- ener hranch of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in- stead of having a usual gift exchange. Donations to- talled $35. The members' Christmas gifts to the parish priests Rev. J. H. Higgins and Rev. James Malone were cheques St. John's C WL collecting toys DICK CLINE Seance worthy of pour cemtidettce - a tradition the: ms. There is a waiting list of children to be a.dmitted . the Developmental Gem but Davock urges any par- ents with retarded chil- dren to contact the centre for more information. There is a monthly fee for the centre's services but assistance is available from the social services branch of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. and felt Christmas stockings filled with small gifts. Other gifts included $100 for flowers for the altar at Christmas; $25 for sick and shutins; $50 to missions in Bolivia and Peru; 35 for a girl guides Christmas party; $l5 for Sister Ed- wardine, the visiting nun; $25 to K-W Birthright; gl for St. Mary's high yearbook, and $5 for a mass for deceased members. Special guests were Mrs. E.E. Hallman, chairman of the board of directors and Dr. Hallman. Auxiliary chairman Mrs. Allan Spencer invited guests to the dining room which was under the direc- tion of Mrs, Ross Dunford. Kitchen arrangements were under the charge of Mrs. Cameron Yule. It was reported St. John's separate school students collected $193 and Msgr. Gleason’s separate school students collected $53 for UNICEF at Halloween and a boutique sale of crafts convened by Mrs. Eleanor Hoch raised $232. Santa visits seniors A gift exchange and a visit from Santa Claus were the highlights of the night as members of the Park- wood Manor Auxiliary don- ned their Christmas aprons to host a dinner party for senior citizens and staff last Wédnesday night.