Our story
“First Step”… Where the dream began and turned into reality. It all started with boundless passion and a vision that believes that every child deserves a chance to grow and develop. Experience and ambition came together, and the dream turned into a vibrant center, where we work every day to make a real difference. From a small idea to a leading entity, the journey was full of determination, dedication, and love. And the story is still being written…
Our service
Explore the wide range of services we offer to support your journey and success.
Consultation services
Comprehensive Evaluation
Functional Behavioral Assessment
Speech and language Assessment
Occupational therapy Assessment
Child Mental Health Assessment
Parental Consultations & Caregiver Training
School & Nursery Follow-ups
Early intervention
Therapeutic sessions
Who We Serve
Discover the vision and values that make First Step your trusted choice for growth and learning.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
A neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social communication, interaction with others, and repetitive or stereotyped behaviors. It usually appears in early childhood, and its severity and symptoms can vary greatly from one child to another. Children with autism have difficulty understanding social cues such as facial expressions and body language, and face various sensory challenges that affect daily life activities.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The child has difficulty concentrating, sitting still, and controlling his or her impulses. The child may be constantly moving, acting without thinking, or be distracted or impulsive. This affects the child's academic performance and social relationships.
Intellectual Disability
Children with intellectual disabilities have difficulty learning, thinking, and solving problems compared to their peers. They need additional support in everyday skills such as speaking, playing, learning, and self-care skills.
Global Developmental Delay
This delay refers to slowness in acquiring basic skills such as walking, speaking, or learning. It affects several aspects of development, such as cognition, movement, communication, and daily living skills.
Social Communication Disorder
Children with this disorder have difficulty using language appropriately in social situations. They may have difficulty understanding jokes or following conversational rules such as taking turns.
Selective Mutism
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that affects children, where the child can speak fluently in familiar settings such as home, but remains silent in other social situations, such as the classroom or family events. This silence occurs because the child feels intense anxiety or fear when speaking in front of others, rather than because of stubbornness or a refusal to communicate. Selective mutism often appears when the child is starting out in a new environment, and requires psychological support and gradual training to help him adapt and communicate confidently in all situations.
Tourette Syndrome
This syndrome causes repetitive, involuntary movements or sounds known as “tics.” They may include blinking, making sounds, or repeating words suddenly.
Coordination/Motor Coordination Disorder
The DSM-5 criteria for a DCD diagnosis include: The acquisition and execution of motor skills and related coordination are below what is expected based on age, the deficits of motor skill and coordination significantly interfere with daily life in the domains of self-care, scholastics, work, leisure, and play, the symptoms began in childhood
Learning Difficulties
Children with learning disabilities find challenges in reading, writing, or arithmetic despite their hard efforts. The reason is due to the way the brain processes information, as the difficulties are represented in perceptual and cognitive skills and weak memory skills. This affects the academic aspect and may cause problems in language development.
Language Disorders
Children with these disorders have problems with language in terms of understanding and producing language or using it correctly. They find difficulty forming sentences, choosing words, or pronouncing sounds.
Nonverbal Learning Disorder
This disorder makes it difficult for the child to understand nonverbal signals such as facial expressions and body language. His/her speech may be clear, but he finds it difficult to communicate socially and organize. He/she can learn social skills with the help of therapists.
Stuttering
Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder that makes it difficult for a child to speak smoothly, repeating sounds or words or stopping suddenly while speaking. This disorder results from multiple factors, including heredity, stress, or delayed development of certain areas of the brain responsible for speech.
Oppositional Defiance Disorder
This disorder makes the child act stubbornly and constantly refuse orders, with frequent arguments with adults. The child may appear angry or irritable on an ongoing basis.
Conduct Disorder
The child suffers from aggressive behaviors or behaviors that violate social rules, such as assaulting others or property. This behavior is not just mischief, but a problem that needs intervention from psychologists.
Mood Swing Disorder
Children with this disorder suffer from severe anger attacks and mood swings on an ongoing basis. Their reactions may be greater than the situations they face.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
This disorder results after a child is exposed to a traumatic situation such as an accident or the loss of a loved one. He suffers from nightmares, constant fear, or avoidance of places associated with the accident.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
This disorder leads to recurring unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that prompt the child to repeatedly perform certain behaviors (compulsions), such as excessive hand washing. These behaviors are not voluntary by the child, but rather an attempt by the child to relieve the anxiety resulting from the obsessive thought.
Phobias (fears)
Fears are a feeling of intense and excessive fear of certain things or situations, such as fear of the dark, animals, or high places, despite the absence of an actual threat. This fear is disproportionate to the real situation, and may prompt the child to constantly avoid these situations, affecting his daily life.
Generalized anxiety disorder
The child suffers from constant anxiety and fear about various things in his daily life, even without a clear reason. He may show signs of anxiety such as tension, stomach pain, excessive sweating, hand tremors, and sleep disturbances.
Childhood depression
This depression appears in the form of persistent sadness or loss of interest in things the child used to enjoy. He becomes irritable or isolates himself from others.
Social Anxiety
A child with social anxiety suffers from an intense fear of speaking or acting in front of others. He avoids social situations for fear of embarrassment.
Separation Anxiety
This disorder makes the child feel anxious and afraid when he is away from his parents or people close to him and cries intensely or refuses to go to school.
Cerebral Palsy
It is a disorder that affects movement and balance because of brain damage during the early stages of development. The affected child suffers from poor muscle control, and difficulties with balance and motor coordination. Symptoms can vary in severity depending on the condition.
Spina Bifida
A condition that occurs when the spine does not fully develop properly during pregnancy. It can affect movement and control of body functions, especially if there is nerve damage.
Amputation
It is the loss of one or part of a limb as a result of an injury, a health problem, or a birth defect. It can affect movement and the ability to perform daily tasks. The use of prosthetics and occupational therapy helps enhance the child's independence.
Congenital anomalies/Physical deformities
Refer to changes or differences in the external appearance of the body because of genetic disorders or environmental factors during pregnancy and childbirth. These abnormalities may affect facial features or limbs.
Muscular atrophy
A condition in which there is a gradual weakness or shrinkage in the size of the muscles because of lack of activity or due to neurological or genetic disorders. It leads to difficulties in movement and performing daily activities. Treatment depends on occupational therapy and supportive exercises to maintain muscle strength as much as possible.
Epilepsy
A neurological disorder that causes recurrent seizures because of abnormal activity in the brain. Seizures vary in type and severity, and may affect movement, sensation, or awareness. Children with the condition require continuous medical follow-up and sometimes medications to control seizures.
Sensory processing disorders
These are difficulties in processing sensory information from the surrounding environment, such as sounds, touch, or smells. The child may show excessive or weak responses to daily sensory stimuli. Treatment requires providing an appropriate environment and using occupational therapy techniques to improve the ability to process sensory information.
Spinal cord injuries
Occur when the spinal cord is damaged by injury, affecting movement or sensation in certain parts of the body. They can result in partial or complete paralysis, depending on the location and severity of the injury. Occupational therapy and ongoing support can help improve functional ability and quality of life.
Fragile chromosome syndrome
It is a genetic disorder that affects a child's mental and social development. Affected children suffer from delayed speech and difficulties in learning and social communication.
Down syndrome
This syndrome is caused by a change in genes that leads to delayed physical and mental development. Affected children are characterized by certain physical characteristics and slower learning abilities than their peers.
Prader-Willi syndrome
It is a genetic condition that affects appetite, growth and learning. The child suffers from a constant feeling of hunger, muscle weakness and delayed development.
Turner syndrome
This syndrome affects girls only, and is caused by a deficiency or defect in one of the chromosomes. It leads to growth problems, short stature and delayed puberty.
Blogs
Read insightful articles and expert opinions on topics that matter to you.
Interactive Guide
The interactive guide helps you make better decisions through a series of simple questions tailored for you.
Sleep Quality Explorer
An interactive tool that helps you assess your sleep patterns and the factors affecting them. You will go through multiple questions about sleep, daily habits, and comfort level, and at the end, you will receive a comprehensive evaluation of your sleep quality.
Stress Level Explorer
An interactive tool that guides you through several questions about daily stressors and coping habits. At the end, you’ll see a reflection about your current stress level and possible next steps. This is not a diagnosis, but a helpful guide for self-reflection.
First Step Counseling Center is the first center accredited in the Gulf countries
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