My first month in Porto

I have been in Porto, Portugal for a little over a month and my experiences thus far have truly been rewarding and valuable. During my first two weeks I visited a number of public and private preschools. At one of the private institutions, The Associação Social e de Desenvolvimento de Guifões (ASDG), they offer preschool services for infants and children from 0-5 and geriatric services. I have seen a similar system only once in the US and think it is great way to foster interaction between children and older adults.

Also, while observing and touring some of the public preschools I was given an assignment to observe a 5-year-old girl with multiple sclerosis. The preschool lessons are conducted in Portuguese, which I am still learning, so my observations of the environment and nonverbal interactions were of particular interest. Many of my observations were consistent with prior assessments of the young girl. I presented my findings from the observation at a workshop for teachers who have students with special needs. I also provided interventions the teachers could possibly use when they have students with similar needs.

I was also given a tour of CRIAR, a private service provider that specializes in assessment and intervention for children and youth with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, and emotional/behavioral issues. The staff at Criar was very welcoming and has invited us back to observe some of the assessments and interventions they conduct.

Lastly, Professor Mats Granlund, from Sweden’s Jönköping University, provided a weekend workshop on the ICF-CY at the University of Porto. During the workshop I was able to explore the historical underpinnings of different classification systems and how to use the ICF-CY. I especially enjoyed practicing how to use the ICF-CY with the different scenarios groups developed.

Thus far I have learned so much about Portugal and Portuguese culture. I appreciate the warmth and kindness everyone in the academic community and the community at large has shown me. In the upcoming months I look forward to diving deeper into my research here, learning Portuguese, and learning more about the different service delivery models for children with developmental disabilities.