(Muscat: Oman) Oman’s first clinic dedicated to speech-language and hearing, which had its grand opening Wednesday evening, aims to provide much-needed services in Oman.
Najah Al Abdulsalam, a speech therapist who was trained in the USA and Jordan, opened the Icommunicate Speech-Language Pathology clinic, fulfilling her long-time dream of having her own clinic.
“It’s time to have a specialised clinic in Oman,” she said.
“The demand is really, really high,” she added.
There are only 13 Omani speech therapists in the Sultanate, but many people who need their services. Common problems in Oman include stuttering, swallowing, voice speed, language, and problems with clefts, Al Abdulsalam explained.
“All the communication problems we get in big numbers, mainly because there are so few speech therapists,” Al Abdulsalam said.
She has already had many people contact her for services and built up a long list of patients. While Al Abdulsalam will treat most of the patients herself, she has also lined up a couple of other specialists to help with certain cases.
She says she is very happy to have opened her own clinic. Her long-term plan is to have a specialised speech-therapy centre that will focus on other problems.
“In Oman we need a specialised speech-language therapy centre which will focus on autism, and offer play therapy, trauma therapy, and all the different types of therapy that will complement our sessions,” Al Abdulsalam explained.
Another area she hopes to do more research on is Arabic-specific speech therapy, since there isn’t much information on it. Her studies in Jordan provided her with the expertise, but given the different dialects in Oman, more work here can be done.
Some of Al Abdulsalam’s colleagues attended the opening, as well as other members of the medical community.
They visited the clinic, which has special features like a room with tinted windows which allow parents to watch their children receive therapy but the children can’t see their parents.
“It’s quite an achievement and we’re very happy that she has taken this step. We need it. There are a lot of patients who want to go to a private clinic,” said Ibtisam Al Riyami, a speech therapist at the Royal Oman Police Hospital.
Al Riyami said speech therapy is relatively new in Oman, and there is a growing demand for it, so the services offered at Icommunicate, which include assessment and intervention for autism, stuttering, learning difficulties, Down Syndrome, and hearing impairment, among other things, is an asset for the Sultanate.
“This is a great step forward for speech therapy in general in Oman,” Al Riyami said.
Najah Al Abdulsalam, a speech therapist who was trained in the USA and Jordan, opened the Icommunicate Speech-Language Pathology clinic, fulfilling her long-time dream of having her own clinic.
“It’s time to have a specialised clinic in Oman,” she said.
“The demand is really, really high,” she added.
There are only 13 Omani speech therapists in the Sultanate, but many people who need their services. Common problems in Oman include stuttering, swallowing, voice speed, language, and problems with clefts, Al Abdulsalam explained.
“All the communication problems we get in big numbers, mainly because there are so few speech therapists,” Al Abdulsalam said.
She has already had many people contact her for services and built up a long list of patients. While Al Abdulsalam will treat most of the patients herself, she has also lined up a couple of other specialists to help with certain cases.
She says she is very happy to have opened her own clinic. Her long-term plan is to have a specialised speech-therapy centre that will focus on other problems.
“In Oman we need a specialised speech-language therapy centre which will focus on autism, and offer play therapy, trauma therapy, and all the different types of therapy that will complement our sessions,” Al Abdulsalam explained.
Another area she hopes to do more research on is Arabic-specific speech therapy, since there isn’t much information on it. Her studies in Jordan provided her with the expertise, but given the different dialects in Oman, more work here can be done.
Some of Al Abdulsalam’s colleagues attended the opening, as well as other members of the medical community.
They visited the clinic, which has special features like a room with tinted windows which allow parents to watch their children receive therapy but the children can’t see their parents.
“It’s quite an achievement and we’re very happy that she has taken this step. We need it. There are a lot of patients who want to go to a private clinic,” said Ibtisam Al Riyami, a speech therapist at the Royal Oman Police Hospital.
Al Riyami said speech therapy is relatively new in Oman, and there is a growing demand for it, so the services offered at Icommunicate, which include assessment and intervention for autism, stuttering, learning difficulties, Down Syndrome, and hearing impairment, among other things, is an asset for the Sultanate.
“This is a great step forward for speech therapy in general in Oman,” Al Riyami said.
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