Where special children set the pace

A small boy leans over a table, fingers deep in a tray of textured paint, tracing the tentacles of a jellyfish. Nobody hurries him. Nobody insists he join the circle if the noise is too much. In a quiet room in Muscat, that freedom is the whole point.
The scene is from Gentle Adventures, a two-week summer playgroup for children with sensory and communication needs, run at Al Harub Medical Centre (AHMC) in Muscat. It offers a model that is rare in the Arabian Gulf: therapy dressed as play, designed around the child rather than the programme.
Behind it is Pristine Sara George, a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) at AHMC who has built a reputation for tailoring communication support to Oman’s diverse communities.
“Facilitating the Gentle Adventures Summer Playgroup was a meaningful opportunity to connect with parents and support children with diverse needs in an environment where they could feel safe, comfortable and included,” she said.
Each week had a theme: sea life in the first, farm animals in the second. Activities included sensory bins with varied textures, table-based play, movement and shared group experiences.
“The intention behind Gentle Adventures was to create a calm, less overwhelming space where children could learn, play and interact with others while still being themselves,” Sara said. “Rather than expecting every child to participate in the same way, activities were adapted to respect each child’s individual sensory profile and needs. Children were never forced to take part in an activity that felt uncomfortable or overwhelming for them.”
As a therapist, she said, the most valuable lesson was how much children absorb from one another. “Every child on the spectrum is different, and the group setting created natural opportunities for them to observe their peers, learn new words from one another, practice sitting and participating at a table, develop attention and gradually become more comfortable interacting with other children.”
She added that watching peers “supported their understanding of social situations and helped develop important social communication and pragmatic language skills in a way that felt natural rather than forced.”

The playgroup builds on Pristine’s earlier work in culturally grounded therapy. Her “Ramadhan Edition of Cute Little Talkers Speech Therapy Toolkit”, billed as the first of its kind, helped children with speech and language delays take part in the holy month, expressing emotions, navigating social expectations and joining in traditions with confidence.
The approach reflects a gap many families in the region know well: therapy materials are often imported and miss the religious and social rhythms of daily life in Oman. By weaving Ramadhan customs and local community needs into her tools, Pristine is pushing speech therapy towards something more familiar to the children it serves.
“What made Gentle Adventures different from a more traditional summer camp was that the environment and activities were designed around the children’s sensory and developmental needs,” she said. “The aim was not to make children adapt to a difficult environment, but to create an environment in which they could feel safe enough to explore, communicate, learn and, most importantly, have fun.”
Dr Nutaila al Kharusi, AHMC’s Managing Director, said she was proud of the initiative. “So proud of Pristine for taking the initiative to create Gentle Adventures. It was lovely to see the children learning, exploring and connecting through play, while having a space that was sensitive to their individual needs. This is exactly the kind of creativity and meaningful care we love to encourage at AHMC.”
Parents described the effect at home. Selvi, mother of seven-year-old Yugaan, called playgroups “the most needed and beneficial activity in the holistic development of the child.”
“They provide chances for the child to communicate naturally,” she said. “This is an excellent platform for the child to take the initiative to express, to share, to think, to understand, to respond and to feel the pleasure of playing with others. Most importantly, this playgroup expands the smaller inner world of the child by supporting and enhancing the child’s latent talents in a natural way.”
Nasser, father of five-year-old Zakariya, thanked organisers for the camp. “Zakariya really enjoyed being part of the group and taking part in all the different activities,” he said. “As a parent of a child with special needs, it means so much to have activities and groups that are understanding, inclusive and supportive of every child’s individual needs.”
The camp also helped with his son’s sensory needs, he said. “Being introduced to different activities, textures, sounds and environments in a safe and supportive setting helped encourage him to explore and take part at his own pace.” He added: “We would love to see more opportunities like this available in the future.”
For families in Muscat, the message from parents is clear: inclusion works best when it is built in from the start, and they want more of it.