dear Ahmed,

In the Netherlands, parent + patient organisations ( for all kinds of disorders) are numerous and they are very well informed. This keeps the health professionals on their toes..... a well informed patient will ask difficult questions. The whole society (and its health system) in various northern european countriries cannot be compaired to countries elsewhere.

This makes answering your questions a little harder.

Having lived in Holland, Australia and Spain, having worked (as a physio) in Holland Germany and Spain I have come to realize the BIG differences we have in:
our cultures,
our perception of welbeing ( one is glad to have enough food, the other enough luxury or health care) and our willingness to pay health insurance= obligatory in our country.....
our professional education (years and level),
our health systems and
our perception of reacting to a childsī( your childsī) physical- or mental disorder. In some countries , the handicap is "accepted" and the child is looked after and lovingly cared for; in others, parents will fight to stop or change their childs situation and they will not "just accept" the handicap.

As far as Autism is concerned.... in Holland physiotherapists will treat these patients if they have a physical problem. Most autistic children however, have normal motor control and fairly normal motor performance. Their motor behaviour can be different and disturbing to others. Children with autism are mainly "treated" by physchologist or phyciatrist. Teachers and carerīs (in Schools and Institutions) have knowledge and education of the possiblities and they also help these children. We only come into the picture is there is a real motor problem.
The concept of a dark room is completely foreign to me.

The Dutch multidisciplinary guidelines for the treatment of spastic CP includes botox injections. After botox, intensive physiotherapy is given.

Normal treatment time in the out-patient clinic is 30-40 minutes ( depending on child and disorder) .
Frequency depends on disorder... and the amount of the time the parents can exercise with their child at home as well and it can be 1-2 a week to 1x month.
Everybody has a right to 9 x paediatric physiotherapy a year and children with special needs can get more. The healthfunds (everybody pays into) have created a system whereby everyone that really needs paediatric physio, will get it.
In the in-patient situation; Hospitals, Institutions and Rehab centres, patients recieve whatever they need as part of their stay.


In the case of your last question, I am not in a position to help you I am afraid. Who could help you? I think I would try to find people or oranizations in your own country willing and able to help. The www.who.org and Global-HELP : Non-Profit Low-Cost Health Publications can give you a lot of free information.

good luck

Esther de Ru