Profile
The Mifne Center
The Mifne Center (registered non-profit association) for therapy, training and research was established in 1987, specializing in the treatment of autism in infants, encompassing the entire nuclear family and according to a unique program developed at the center and At the Mifne Center in Rosh Pina. Infants and toddlers up to the age of two who are diagnosed on the autism spectrum are treated, from all over the country and the world.
The therapeutic approach combines medical, psychological-social and environmental aspects and focuses on all the developmental components of the infant: physical, sensory, motor skills, emotional, and cognitive through play therapy and sensory stimulation, in order to leverage the infant’s abilities to develop a relationship and communication with his/her environment. Based on the fact that parents are the main resource for their children's development, they are fully involved in the treatment, which gives them tools to continue coping and help their children progress.
The Mifne team includes experienced professionals in the fields of medicine, psychology, psychotherapy, family therapy, infant development, occupational therapy, and hydrotherapy, who are trained according to the Mifne approach and see their work as a professional and personal mission.
The treatment framework includes 3 stages:
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Short-term intensive systemic family therapy of 3 weeks.
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Continued treatment at the family home accompanied by skilled therapists trained at the Mifne Center and Bar Ilan University.
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Integration into kindergarten with accompanying supervision from the Mifne Center.
Research
The Mifne Center is a partner in international studies with academic institutions, including Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, UCLA.
Assessment Tool
Following a groundbreaking study conducted in the years 1997-2007, a screening tool was developed by The Mifne Center to identify signs associated with autism in infants—ESPASSI©, which was piloted at Ichilov Hospital and is now studied worldwide.
Training
In 2001, The Mifne Center established the first school for training therapists at Bar-Ilan University, which trains therapists to work in family homes in the community.
Financing the treatment
The Mifne Center treats families from all sectors of the population regardless of religion or socio-economic strata. The families' payments are differential; One of the cornerstones of our center is that socioeconomic status should not be an obstacle for a family in need of care. The support provided to Israeli families is made possible by the assistance of the Swiss Mifne Foundation, foundations abroad and in Israel, and private donors.
Mifne Centers throughout the world
The first center outside of Israel implementing treatment according to the Mifne approach was established in collaboration with the University of Basel, Switzerland in 2010.
Another center was established in Pietra Niames, Romania. All the clinical teams were trained at The Mifne Center in Israel. The centers are financed through local resources of the countries of origin.
Founder and Head of The Mifne Center
Dr. Hana Alonim is an expert in developmental disorders on the autism spectrum and mental health in infants. She is a member of the ICF Committee at the World Health Organization, 2016.
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