Psychologist and education director with over 15 years of experience, Francine Luthi has dedicated her rich career to working with immigrant children and their families who come from different cultural, socio-economical and educational backgrounds from the host country they live in. After contributing to educational programs such as Swiss Canton of Vaud and collaborating with the City of Lausanne, she moved to Dubai where she co-founded Skills for Kids, a Dubai-based center for children with learning difficulties.

Azyaamode had the chance to interview this amazing woman to learn about her vision, the activities they provide at the center and many more.

How did you decide to become a psychologist? 

Human beings  and how they cope with certain situations in life, have always fascinated me. My aim was to understand the complexity of it all, and to be able to help people face their challenges, no matter what the conditions they might find themselves in. I have always considered myself a good listener and this is the element that makes a successful psychologist.

What was the vision behind the foundation of Skills for Kids center? 

My partner, Karen Vantilborgh and I spent more than 5 years working in the Middle East with special-needs children and 10 years in Europe before that. We noticed that most of the children we worked with were having one to one sessions but were not included in a group setting with other children, as every child needs to be. We thought about a place where an Educational Day program similar to a school environment can be offered, but also where individual skills are developed for future inclusion, and the idea of Skills for Kids took form.

Growing up amongst other children and interacting with them is essential for all children. Skills for Kids center offers an educational day program for children who are not yet ready to attend a mainstream school, and helps  them feel included in a classroom and the community at large. 

Tell us more about the activities you provide at Skills for Kids? 

The program runs from 8:30am to 2:00pm and includes circle time, academics, PE and music, just like any other school.

The peculiarity of our programs is that they are based on comprehensive assessments of the child's needs, behavior strategies and individual educational plans with short term and long term goals for our therapists and teachers to work on, and very importantly, for parents and nannies to learn from. We offer parent and nanny training, hence the program is not limited to a classroom setting but can be followed at home. It is important for our students to generalize skills, to build their confidence and independence. This is only possible when all the people from their day-to-day life are involved.

While looking at your career, we realize that children take center stage. What made you go in this direction?  

Children are in constant development. The notion of hope and possibility of changing things is then very present. Working with children is really rewarding. For as long as I can remember, I always felt concerned about children’s life skills, that we can do more for children with special needs and that this was our responsibility to help them to overcome their difficulties and be more included in our society.

All children have the right to be included. And if it is not immediately possible to be included in a mainstream school, it can be in a different setting. Having lunch in a restaurant with their families, going out, spending an afternoon at the beach or going to the mall can already be a big success of integration in the community.

What are the factors that affect a child’s self-esteem and how can we strengthen it? 

Self-esteem can also be defined as being confident while feeling loved. A child who is happy with an achievement but does not feel loved may eventually experience low self-esteem. A child who feels loved but is hesitant about his or her abilities can also develop low self-esteem.

• Be careful what you say. Kids can be sensitive to parents' and others' words. Remember to praise your child not only for a job well done, but also for effort.
• Be a positive role model. Nurture your own self-esteem and they'll have a great role model.
• Identify and redirect inaccurate beliefs. Helping kids set more accurate standards and be more realistic in evaluating themselves will help them have a healthy self-concept.
• Be spontaneous and affectionate. Your love will help boost your child's self-esteem. Give hugs and tell kids you're proud of them when you can see them putting effort toward something or trying something at which they previously failed.
• Give positive, accurate feedback. This acknowledges a child's feelings, rewards the choice made, and encourages the child to make the right choice again next time.

How can we make up for the environmental changes that affect children when moving from one country to another? 

Moving countries can be difficult and stressful for kids. It is very important to keep the same daily routine to reassure the child that nothing has changed. It is also important to explain the move (using social stories, drawings, videos) and mention or describe what the child can expect.

What are the requirements to work with a child with special needs?  

The person should have a degree in psychology, social work or special education. In terms of human qualities, that person should be very patient and positive, show empathy and understanding. They should have the capacity to reassure the parents and build trust with the child.

What are the concerns that you have usually from parents? And what are the frequently asked questions and the most pressing concerns? 

Parents are majorly concerned when their child is non-verbal. It is very important for parents that their child develops expressive language skills.

Another question parents often have is if their child can be “cured”.  However, these kinds of problems cannot be cured but we can reduce their symptoms through daily therapy, developing independence, daily living and social skills. It’s important to accept autism and include people diagnosed with autism in every part of the society.

Parents often delay starting therapies, but extensive research showed that early intervention is essential in the child’s development. I would definitely recommend, when the child shows difficulties in language and/or social skills, to conduct a comprehensive assessment as of 2 – 2 1/2 years old.

What would the agenda be on a normal day at the center? 

We open the center at 8am as the children who attend the classroom program arrive at 8:30am. We welcome them one by one and accompany them to the classroom. The teachers and therapist follow the schedule of the day (e.g. circle time, academics, music, snack, gardening, academics, lunch, PE)

Every week we create a new program including a subject of the week, a community outing, etc. We also conduct assessments and review the children’s IEP (individual education plans).

We organize parent-teacher meetings to give them information about what we work on in the classroom and how they can generalize those skills at home. We also inform them of their child’s progress. Parents love to know how their children are spending their time away from home and by sharing these moments they feel reassured and proud of their child’s accomplishments. 

We strongly believe that it’s important to take time to listen to the parents and how we can address concern they may have.

Our speech therapist, behavior therapists and occupational therapist are simultaneously conducting therapies with the children who attend the classroom program, as well as children who attend a mainstream school but need some extra support.

What's next? 

The idea of Skills for Kids is new for the region. The program in itself is innovative and offers a good framework for inclusion. We obviously look forward to see more children benefiting from such a program in its current format as well as in mainstream schools, and the community in Dubai and other emirates.

Mirella Haddad