Miscellaneous Questions and Answers

When dealing with teenagers, sometimes it's difficult for parents to be firm about treatment (whether with pills or any other treatment) when the teen isn't cooperating. How much should we take the teen's opinion or desires into account? How should one relate to and approach the teen with this topic?
In adolescence and also in younger ages, there's space for frank and truthful dialogue with the child. The key to dialogue is the listening that allows the parent to learn the child's points of view and the difficulties he deals with. Through cooperation and understanding it's possible to transform the child into an active partner and plan the proper treatment together with him. The advantages and disadvantages in whichever way he will choose should be considered together with him. When a parent imposes his will on his child, he doesn't gain anything from this and certainly not the cooperation that's so necessary for the success of every treatment. In the "Parent's Coaching Program", we coach parents how to carry out effective dialogue.



Do you think that teachers today in the school system have enough knowledge on the topics of ADHD and learning disabilities?

In our opinion, teachers have a lot of knowledge in the field of learning disabilities and ADHD. On the other hand, many teachers claim that they lack tools to effectively cope in the class with students suffering from learning disabilities and ADHD. The Nitzan Association runs workshops for teachers with the goal of providing tools and skills for dealing effectively with these students.



Is there an empirical connection between the style of school books in the lower grades and learning disabilities problems?

New programs have been developed that speak about such that children need to learn and not just fill out letters. Preventing writing prevents them from developing. Some parents are very confused when the teacher says, "You should go for an evaluation; you'll get an exemption from writing and you'll be tested orally." When talking about extra time on tests, they have to measure the time needed for the student and how much he completes after the extension. Regarding problems with handwriting, practicing writing improves the results. The more we read, the more we come across a good role model, which in the end, helps to improve results.



I'm a home room teacher in middle school. In the 9th grade there's a student with learning disabilities who experiences stress and anxiety before exams and during which she feels pressure in her chest, increased heart rate, crying, difficulty concentrating…can somebody advise me how to help her?

Your willingness to help your student is certainly moving and I'm sure that your student feels how much you're concerned for her. A significant adult at the school is extremely important for the student's functioning and many times the student will remember that adult throughout the years as someone who was ray of light for her during his/her school years.

It's known that many students with learning disabilities suffer from test anxiety. It's important to note that the cause of the test anxiety is the learning disabilities, a result of the accompanying failures and frustrations over the years. Therefore, it's important to evaluate the disability and treat it correctly. Emotional treatment for anxiety isn't enough, since the anxiety is secondary to the learning disability.

We think that in order to help your student in this stage, it's worthwhile to check which evaluations have been performed, what are the recommendations that have been made, and if the recommendations have been implemented. Many times the recommendations written in the evaluation report are not carried out for different reasons. It's also important to stress that providing accommodations on exams is not enough and one should verify that there was in fact treatment given and at the given age mainly, acquisition of appropriate learning strategies in order that the student can bypass the disabilities and to express her abilities in the best way, mainly when approaching the bagrut (matriculation) exams. We'd love to help you later. If necessary, you're invited to call the National Center of The Nitzan Association and to consult with us by phone.



What's your opinion about therapeutic horseback riding? Does it work? Does it treat learning disabilities and ADHD?

Therapeutic horseback riding is one of the ways for working with children that's recognized as helping to cope with emotional issues. Coping with difficulties of different types, also as a result of disabilities or ADHD, almost always, if not always, is accompanied by emotional difficulties like frustration, depression, negative self image, low self-esteem, and so forth, and from here comes the importance of emotional treatment with children and training for their parents.

Therapeutic horseback riding is an example of a method of working with children that has emotional consequences and indirectly affects the academic areas as well.

It's important to evaluate how much the child is interested and responds to this type of intervention and if he doesn't like the riding, to try a different sort of treatment (e.g., music, art, drama…). It's important to stress that the success of the intervention lies in finding a good therapist, who has good chemistry with the child. The difference between horseback riding in general and therapeutic horseback riding is the therapist. The therapist is a person who's qualified for this work and has the talent to transform the riding into a therapeutic tool, just as an art therapist knows how to make use of art to work with the emotional needs and isn't just an art teacher.

The work on the emotional aspects can certainly help the child in coping with the implications of the learning disabilities or ADHD, especially in light of the fact that it's not done directly and doesn't relate to the academic parts in which the child had lots of difficulty and sometimes even resists receiving help because of sensitivity and frustration that he experienced. For example, the studies of Professor Schechtman from the Haifa University revealed that emotional group work with children improves their academic achievements more than tutoring given for the same amount of time. In summary, we're very much in favor of working with children in ways that relate to emotional needs.


I'm the mother of three children, two soldiers and a 7-year-old boy in first grade. The teacher and school principal recommend that I take my youngest child for an evaluation since he's not focused and doesn't cooperate in class, doesn't want to write, always asks for the teacher or assistant to help him and be by his side, in short, isn't ready to work alone in class and at home refuses to do homework. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to take him for an evaluation, but I'm very worried and anxious; I don't know what's waiting for me. I understand that he has difficulties, but on the other hand he's very intelligent. I understand that he wants to play and have fun and he simply doesn't want to try.

Don't worry about the evaluation. The evaluation will give a current snapshot of your son's difficulties. From our experience over many years at The Nitzan Association, we know that detection and diagnosis as early as possible of children with learning disabilities and matching an appropriate treatment will enable better readiness and integration in the framework of the school's requirements. Similarly, early detection will prevent feelings of failure, anger, and low self-image, with all of the accompanying implications. We applaud you on your alertness to your son's situation and on that you are addressing the issue and turning for help. It's important at the end of the evaluation to go for a summary discussion with the evaluator and request a detailed explanation of your son's difficulties and recommended treatment methods. It's important to remember that the evaluation is only the beginning of the way. Many parents that we meet do not implement the evaluation recommendations in which they invested a large amount of money and this is a pity. It's recommended to go back and refer to the evaluation periodically, see what else was recommended but hasn't been done. In case you'll need guidance and consultation in the future, return to the center that evaluated your son or refer to the Nitzan branch closest to your place of residence.

Necessary Accommodations or Leniencies for Solid Students?


- Article by Ruti Levi, The Marker

At the beginning of the year, 16-year-old Hila received a text message from her friend with the cell phone number and a strong recommendation for a private learning disabilities evaluator. "I wanted an evaluator with evidence that the leniencies he recommends have already been accepted by the Ministry of Education a number of times", the teenager explains.

Hila's friends, it turns out, know to point out the names of evaluators who have proven to be "generous". Loosely speaking, this means evaluators, who know that when parents pay, they're expecting results, e.g., leniencies that are negotiable: extra time, ignoring spelling mistakes, expanded formulas page in math - and if you're good, maybe you can reach the bagrut (matriculation) exam for English with an electronic dictionary.

The widely open market of evaluations has been familiar since the beginning of the decade, and the clearest expression of such has been rooted in the language; the word accommodations has been switched with the word leniencies. At the Ministry of Education it's noted that a third of the evaluations submitted for approval of accommodations are disqualified each year, and nowadays, regulations which define what is an acceptable evaluation and who is a recognized evaluator have been constructed, which is supposed to reduce the scope of the problem.



Anyhow, the Ministry notes, the accommodations are divided to three levels, where two of the first levels don't affect the essence of what is measured by the exam or don't affect its content, and the accepted belief is that they're not significant enough to help a child who isn't learning disabled. In other words, extra time that's given to a child who is not really learning disabled is not expected to improve the grade he'll achieve. These suppositions are supported by studies conducted within and outside of the Ministry of Education. In contrast, the significant accommodations are those which change the essence of the content being measured (for example changing a math exam to an exam in a different scientific subject), are given only with the approval of the District Committee for Severe Cases.



Last June, the Central Office for Statistics published a comparison of data of students receiving accommodations on the bagrut (matriculation) exams). The study found the number of students entitled to leniencies out of the general student body of 10th-12th grades almost doubled between the years 2000-2007. Another finding is that the "socio-economic level considerably contributes to the likeliness to receive an accommodation on the first and second levels" - according to the data, only 5.7% of the Arab student body received leniencies on the bagrut (matriculation) exams), in comparison to 23.9% of the Jewish student body.



Do children of the wealthy hurry to request leniencies and inflate the statistics, or maybe those established parents are more aware of the importance of evaluations for learning disabilities? Between all of the numbers and percentages, a more significant problem is raised: "Children with learning disabilities from needy families in the peripheral areas and impoverished neighborhoods are going to waste", says Ophra Elul, President of the Nitzan Association.

LD Evaluations and Back to School Tips

Maly Danino, Executive Director of Nitzan was recently interviewed on Israel's Channel 2 morning show "The World this Morning". She speaks about LD evaluations, different types of evaluations, and offers some back to school tips.

An interesting part of the clip is where she responds to the interviewers' suggestions that students go for evaluations in order to get "exemptions" and that having LD or ADHD is fun.

Maly lets everyone know that having LD or ADHD is far from fun, especially for the parents and that there are no "exemptions" but rather "accomodations" which are like glasses for a person who has trouble seeing. Check out the video.

LD Evaluation in the Summer

Kathy Sanitsky-Muller, director of the Nitzan branch in Holon, explains in a channel 10 interview why it is important for children to be evaluated for learning disabilities in the summer.

Nitzanei Mehut - College Preparatory Program for Students with Learning Disabilities

Nitzanei Mehut is a program run by Nitzan and the Seminar Kibbutzim College. I recently received an email from a parent of a 20 year old with dyslexia and dyscalculia who was looking for a program to help her child prepare for college. In case there are others with the same question I'm posting a promotional video for Nitzanei Mehut together with a link to an explanation of the program on the Nitzan website.

You can read about the program on Nitzan's website at:

Nitzan Mehut Program

Here's their promotional video:

Parent Coaching - Questions and Answers

I am a mother of two boys. The oldest is 10 years old with ADHD and learning disabilities. The youngest is 3 years old. The oldest moved this year to a school for children with learning disabilities and seems pleased so far. Without a doubt, the move from Israel’s central region to here a year ago had its effect and influenced the entire household (I raise the children alone). Now, we’re starting to see the beginnings of satisfaction and some calmness at home.

I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to cope with a child with ADHD and learning disabilities, a low self-image, and severe anxieties of late. I see this as daily survival and I frequently ask myself, “Did I do the right thing?”, “Did I give the right punishment?”, or “Why do I constantly have to punish him and be angry with him…this tortures me. I receive parent training from a wonderful lady who really understands me and the difficulties and doesn’t judge me as others did in the past. We analyze each difficulty/problem/ way of relating, and this is what I wanted to ask…mention

What is the coaching process? How could it affect me?

Why do I feel that most of the time I’m angry with him, his impulsivity, and his tone of voice? Sometimes there’s physical violence, hitting, for which he's been punished and doesn’t dare do again, and I received training for this too.

Since it’s difficult with him, I feel in a certain sense that he’s the underdog, the younger one and naturally he’s closer to me and I feel guilty most of the time since the older son I love with all my might, and because of the problems and difficulties, it’s hard for me to approach him sometimes, I get tired of him quickly, and he feels this.

Another thing, he doesn’t want to do his homework when he comes home. Sometimes he does it during breaks at school (and he really doesn’t have many). The assistant told me not to get angry with him and not to force him to do things. It’s hard for me because sometimes I feel not involved in what’s happening, even though I open up his book bag, etc. He plays with his computer, and doesn’t share with me too much.

Is there a certain behavior that’s representative of children with learning disabilities? Do I expect from him more than he can do? How am I supposed to act with him…I’m really hopeless sometimes and quite frustrated.

It’s noticeable that you’re very attentive to your son and make a lot of effort to help him, and for this we’d like to congratulate you. Coping with raising children with difficulties, as you describe them, isn’t easy and frequently requires good advice and professional help. The difficulties you describe are indeed characteristic of children with ADHD who show difficulty with emotional regulation, the ability to plan and get organized, impulsivity, behavioral problems, and more.

At The Nitzan Association we offer parents two tracks for receiving help.

1. Coaching for parents with learning disabilities and/or ADHD – the coaching is intended for parents of children with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. This is a process of personal growth with the close guidance of a coach, who is an expert in the field trained by Nitzan. The process takes place within the framework of 12 meetings of parents with a personal coach (who is also a psychologist, social worker, school counselor, etc.). During the coaching process, the parent will receive tools for more effective coping with their child. With the coach’s assistance, the parent will understand the patterns that are interfering in his life and that of his child and which patterns are more effective and allow him to progress. The coaching focuses on the self-contemplation of the parent and shared dialogue with the child.

2. An additional track is parent’s groups that allow parents dealing with similar difficulties to meet, to help each other, to hear a good word or good advice, with the accompanying of professionals from the field of group leadership who are experts in the area of learning disabilities and ADHD.
I recommend for you to call the National Training Center of Nitzan so we can tell you more about coaching/parent’s groups and to refer you to the branch closest to your place of residence.

In addition, we recommend that you read the book “The Parent as a Coach”. The book was written for parents dealing with children who suffer from learning disabilities and/or ADHD. The book takes the parents on a journey from the place of difficulty and hopelessness to a place of empowerment and advocacy. The book tells about effective coping of parents that give from their knowledge and experience to other parents who are dealing with similar problems.

My son is 6 years old. He was diagnosed last year with ADHD, and he’s been treated with Ritalin for half a year already. There are days when it’s very difficult for me to understand him, and you can see that he’s frustrated that I don’t understand and he, himself, doesn’t know what’s happening with him. I began to check about a personal training process in our house by an educational counselor. The training is for the parent without the child. This kind of training is very expensive, and, therefore, I’m interested in checking the option to participate in a parent’s group, but I didn’t find one in my area (I live in Holon).

My questions are:
1. What’s the difference between coaching and training/therapy?
2. How many sessions are there in a coaching process, and what do you do in these sessions?
3. Do both parents have to participate?
4. I’d be glad if you can refer me, according to my place of residence, to a place where there is coaching of this type.
I feel like I don’t understand my son, and because of this I’m angry at myself and sometimes at him…I’d be glad to receive answers and help…

In answer to your questions:

1. The coaching process, like the therapy process, deals with the identity and life of the person. It focuses on interpersonal and intrapersonal processes. However, therapy focuses on a person’s past, while the coaching process focuses on the future. Coaching focuses on strengths and abilities of the trainee, while therapy focuses on weaknesses and difficulties. Similarly, coaching is short term in contrast to therapy, which is usually long term. In therapy, the client is usually passive, while in coaching the trainee takes an active role in the process.

2. Coaching is a process of personal growth while in close contact with a coach, who has specialized in the field of learning disabilities and ADHD through courses at Nitzan. Coaching is comprised of a series of conversations through which the coach comes to know the trainee and his behavioral patterns. The coach helps the trainee through coaching to improve skills and abilities, to redesign behavioral patterns, to cope with crises, and to improve relationships throughout the different cycles of life.

The coaching process at Nitzan is intended for parents of children with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. The process takes place within the setting of 12 meetings of the parents with the personal coach (psychologist, social worker, educational counselor, etc., who has specialized in the field of learning disabilities and ADHD). Through the coaching process the parents receives tools for more effective coping with their child. With the help of the coach, the parent will understand what are the patterns that interfere with his life and that of his child and which patterns are more effective and help him progress. The coaching focuses on the self-reflection of the parent and sharing conversation with the child.

3. We very much recommend that both parents participate in the activities at Nitzan. Of course, it’s also possible to come separately.

4. The Coaching takes place at Nitzan’s National Center in Tel-Aviv.

Single-parent training at Nitzan was suggested to me (by a coach in training). Since were looking for parent training for both parents, I decide to pass. I’d be glad if you could explain how training for a single parent for 12 meetings could contribute to our family? What’s the rationale to go in this direction instead of parent training that we’re familiar with for both parents?

In the training program for coaches of parents of children with learning disabilities and/or ADHD, treatment professionals from the fields of therapy, counseling, and education who have expertise in the fields of learning disabilities and ADHD, practice each time with one parent in the context of the struggling child. In the coaching process, in contrast to parent training, the coach gets to know the trainee and his behavioral patterns, and helps the parent through coaching to improve skills and abilities, to redesign behavioral patterns, to cope with crises, and to improve the relationships throughout all the cycles of life.
For these reasons, the coaching is individualized for the parent with the intention to improve his/her abilities to support his/her child and to increase the ability for self-contemplation and recruiting the partner and support network to aid in these processes.
Studies show that even if one of the parents receives treatment of some type, this has a significant influence on the partner and the entire family system.
However, participation of both parents in every intervention program is an immense advantage. So, for example, it’s possible to join parent’s groups either as a couple or individually. Also in the parent coaching program, we are planning this year to train coaches for couples coaching, with the guidance of a psychologist and counselor in family therapy to supervise the coaches.

Here's an interesting testimony from a mother who participated in Nitzan's "Parent's University".

A Talk with Tova Sagol, Founder of Nitzan Baby

“For the parents, for the children”


From an article by Varda Horwitz on Tova Sagol, creator and founder of “Nitzan Baby”


“For the Woman” newspaper, 1/12/08 (Free translation by Oren Rosenberg)

During the years in which I raised my daughter, developing her personal potential was my guiding light. The goal was to take advantage of her abilities, and despite the difficulties to transform her into a happy girl. She fought, I fought”, says Tova Sagol, whose adult daughter, already a mother herself, suffers from learning disabilities.

My meeting with Tova takes place a few days after the inauguration of the “Nitzan Baby” Center, a unique project of the Nitzan Association, who assists those suffering from learning disabilities, adaptive difficulties, and other handicaps. Tova is the one standing behind the new project. She conceived the idea, took on herself its development, and established the training center designed for parents with learning disabilities or for those suffering from ADHD. “These young parents are in need of assistance and training in order to function as better parents despite the difficulties”, she explains.

Tova, who’s married to Sammy Sagol, owner of the “Keter Plastic” Company, is the mother of four and grandmother of three. The connection with the Nitzan Association was formed already 25 years ago when her third daughter, Mia, was five-years-old. “She had difficulties and I came to Nitzan in order to learn and understand what was happening with her”, she says. “I remember meeting famous people, parents of children with learning disabilities who became very active in the association, and together with this, I also met parents who the meeting at Nitzan was a secret for them. At that time, the environment, the society, didn’t know how to accept the subject. The meetings strengthened and empowered me, and so I decided to become more involved in the activities of the association.

Within a short amount of time, Tova became the president of the association and filled the position voluntarily for 10 years. Among other things, she worked at raising funds and advancing projects, some of which merited extensive exposure. One of them she remembers is “The Flag Project”, in which Tova raised donations of 350,000 “Lego” pieces from which an enormous Israeli Flag was built in the Tel-Aviv Museum courtyard. The first piece of the flag placed the Israeli president, Ezer Weitzman; the last one was placed by Prime Minister, Yitchak Rabin. This was in 1995. Besides them, children, parents, educators, Knesset members, ministers, and ambassadors took part in the construction. “We had great exposure”, it’s felt until today, “I remember that this created a feeling that there’s no longer a reason to be embarrassed when saying “I’m learning disabled” or “dyslexic”. The cycle of frustration and loneliness that the children of Nitzan felt then was broken through. “Today,” she says, “it’s easier to cope. Learning disability isn’t an embarrassment any more and all of the information is much more accessible, as well as the evaluation centers, teachers, and therapists. And together with this,” she says, “there are still those who aren’t aware enough and treat learning disabled students as lazy or retarded.”





“In the past, I thought that integration was good”

In order to protect the privacy of Mia, Tova uses a minimum of words. However, she tells proudly that Mia, who works today in office computerization in the “Keter” offices, learned at the “Shefririm” school in Givat Haim, which is labeled as a progressive education school, served in the army (“after two years in Tel HaShomer, her commander called us and thanked us that we sent her to him. He said that she helped him see things that he didn’t see or know previously”, and also reports that she’s the family driver (“then it took her more times, but in the end she succeeded. I rely on her a lot”).

Mia was also the inspiration for establishing the new center. The idea sprouted in Tova’s mind when Mia got married, some five years ago, a long time before they were parents to their year and a quarter old son. “Immediately after the wedding I understood that we needed to think about a place that guides parents with special needs. When they decided to bring a child to the world, I began researching the topic. I searched and searched; I didn’t find and I didn’t believe. There’s such a successful industry in parenting, how is it that there’s nobody that treats the special needs population? Here, my vision began to be formed.”

Tova finished her position as president of Nitzan already a decade ago, but her involvement in the organization’s activities hasn’t ended, therefore, she decided to donate to establishing the center for parents with learning disabilities.

I understand that the existence of a center like this seems absolutely necessary for you.

“Clearly, you see, we, when we were young mothers, we had the guide book of Dr. Spook, and that’s what we opened when a problem or question came up. Today, young parents have training centers and books and internet and what don’t they have? But, what about people that it’s a little harder for them? What if they’ll take from this amazing body of knowledge, that we too, without difficulties like these, get lost with it?

“And why do parents with learning disabilities not fit in at parenting centers that already exist?

We had meetings at existing training centers, and they agreed to accept parents with learning disabilities, but I didn’t see our families fitting in there. In the past, I thought that integration is good. Maybe I wanted to think so. The years and the experience have led me to understand that this doesn’t go. A specific population needs a specific approach in order that there will be results. It was clear to me that we need a place that is completely for them, in which grandmothers and grandfathers will come to and family members who will receive training and counseling how to help the couple of parents.”

What difficulties are unique to parents with learning disabilities?

“They are coping with difficulties that are added to the common difficulties new parents face. They have, for example, problems getting organized, difficulty in setting a daily schedule and keeping it, difficulty in setting limits, the limited ability to express themselves emotionally or with words, or problematic social skills. There are parents that aren’t able to prepare a bottle with milk supplement, because they can’t read or understand the instructions on the package. There are parents who overwhelm the child with toys, because they don’t know which toy is appropriate for the baby’s age. There are parents that have trouble knowing how to play with the baby, rarely go out with him to the yard or friends, because they have social problems. There are parents who can’t read a story to their children.

“Nitzan Baby” deals with teaching day-to-day social and personal skills that are connected to caring for a child, actually, this a family support net for parents.”

The new center operates in pastoral calm on the ground floor of a residential building in Herzeliya. Soft and bright colors cover the walls. Colorful furniture pieces from “Keter Plastic” provide a warm and inviting feeling. In the playroom there are colorful jamboree equipment and a reading corner with books. At story time, they teach parents who have difficulty reading how to enjoy nonetheless together with their children from books. One of the rooms is set aside for private conversations, one chair opposite the other, a parent with an expert (pediatrician, nurse, nutritionist, speech therapist, and all other professionals). There are classes for children and lectures for parents, and there are also mutual classes like baby massage. The activities at the center are accompanied by professionals, among them, Dr. Ornia Yanai, clinical and occupational psychologist; Dr. Neta Avner, early childhood clinical psychologist; and Diana Eildaman, certified parent’s instructor. With the sense of a significant achievement, Tova adds that, “Ophra Elul, President of Nitzan and Maly Danino, Executive Director of Nitzan, brought master’s degree students for educational counseling from Tel-Aviv University and they run the center and assist parents as part of their professional training.”

In the “Coffeehouse”, which is a big room that Tova is responsible for its design, sit a number of women and chat. According to Tova, this isn’t a common sight when we’re talking about mothers with learning disabilities. “In a portion of the cases we’re talking about parents who since they were children have sensed great loneliness and their social circle was very limited”, she explains. “They’re crying out for connection, and here, in the center, friendships are created between parents with common topics. This warms up my heart to see this”, she looks with pleasure at a couple of young mothers. One of them is her daughter, Mia, who comes to the place with her son.

And what about centers like this in other places in Israel?

“I certainly plan to establish centers like these in different cities, and even to export the idea to communities in the world. I think that this place needs to be a pilot for all sorts of populations, maybe for deaf parents, maybe blind parents.”

Her grandson, Yosef, roles on the mattresses spread out in the jamboree corner and confronts a large, rubber ball. “You know”, she doesn’t take her eyes off him, “when I see him play and happy here, I leave hear happy. And I want to share this joy with other grandparents and parents.”

Minister of Welfare Visits Nitzan Rechovot

The Nitzan House of Rechovot merited on Thursday, 1.7.2010, to a visit by the Minister of Wefare, Mr. Yitzchak Herzog who honored the Nitzan graduates with his presence and expressed the great importance that he places on the diverse program of services provided at the Nitzan House.

The president of Nitzan, Ophra Elul, and branch director, Ms. Irit Yaron welcomed the minister and praised him on his willingness to come, listen, and become familiar with the Nitzan House and its special services that have been developed over the years, including: the treatment center, residential housing program, the adult’s club for adults with special needs, and the “Alone and Together” Center.

The director of the rehabilitation branch of Bituach Leumi in Rechovot, the director of the Welfare Branch in the municipality, the director of the Disabled Branch of the Welfare Department in Rechovot, and representatives of the Ministry of Welfare and the Rehabilitation Branch also participated. All these are partners and supporters of the special services of residential housing and the “Alone and Together” project at the Nitzan House of Rechovot.

The minister expressed great interest in the “Alone and Together” Center, a center that provides counseling, treatment, and training services in the area of social and intimate relationships for people with social and cognitive disabilities. In addition, he heard about the adult’s club and residential housing project for adults with learning disabilities, and/or functional and/or adaptive difficulties that exists for 28 years in Nitzan and whose goal is to train this population for independent and social living within the community. The minister, Herzog, was impressed by the diverse program of services that was developed and is provided to adults with special needs, and he especially related to the “Alone and Together” center as a service that comes to represent a revolutionary and important perception in bringing awareness to the general population, about adults with special needs, and possibilities that are available in helping them reach self-satisfaction in their lives.

It was very noticeable that Mr. Herzog was especially impressed from the meeting with Nitzan residential graduates, who also receive services at “Alone and Together”. The graduates told him about their lives, before they left home to live on their own and before they became familiar with their ability to make relationships. They told about lives of dependency and loneliness and spoke piously about the turn-around they made in their lives from the day they left their homes and from the moment they felt that they’re able, like everyone, to make for themselves normal lives, also on the level of relationships and intimacy.

The proof for this is three married couples and nine additional couples living in the residential community project which includes 32 residents overall. The minister paid attention with great interest and asked the graduates questions with the honest goal of getting to know the place and its special characteristics.

It was very exciting to hear the graduates speak on the feeling of self-satisfaction and finding themselves, on the ability to feel love, relationships, and intimacy. The adults told how they acquired skills and experience to get to know people and even to approach someone of the opposite sex, they learned to communicate with and among people and with a partner, how to argue, how to give personal space, and how to manage a house when single or as a couple.

This experience empowered the openness in which two mothers who have children who are graduates of the residential community project and also received services at the “Alone and Together” Center. They spoke with great excitement about the way in which Nitzan residency and the “Alone and Together” center changed their children’s lives from one extreme to another, from the level of the contribution to their personal and interpersonal development, the way in which their children were given the opportunity to experience normal and legitimate experiences within a world of suffering and fears in the face of others. They expressed their joy and great satisfaction to see their happy children, satisfied and independent, expressing themselves as people with special needs with rights to an independent life and intimate relationships as any other person; the pleasure to see their children “put together”.

Ms. Irit Yaron, director of Nitzan Rechovot and the “Alone and Together” center thanked the minister for his visit and willingness to visit, listening, and becoming familiar with the wonderful projects with special people. According to her, this is years of work in action, accompanied by a professional staff, lots of thinking, and a never-ending learning process. This is hard work, delicate and revolutionary issues in social perception.