Children's Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT)
By Rebecca Littlejohn, MS, CGC
In the late 1990’s, The Children's Rehabilitation Institute Teleton (CRIT) was created with the goal of uniting the media and society to meet the needs of children and adolescents with disabilities in Mexico. Each year The Telethon Children's System (SIT - El Sistema Infantil Teleton) holds a telethon to help raise funds for the more than 24 Child Rehabilitation and Inclusion Centers including an Autism Center and Children's Hospital of Oncology. Their vision is to build an inclusive country and to be a leading organization in the fields of disability, autism, and cancer. A yearly teleton is held for all CRIT locations in Mexico and USA to continue to raise funds for the organization Información Archives - Teletón México.
“Their vision is to build an inclusive country and to be a leading organization in the fields of disability, autism, and cancer. ”
Inspired by the success of Fundación Teletón México’s rehabilitation institutes, CRIT USA opened its first US location in San Antonio, Texas in 2014. The Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT) offers comprehensive family-centered rehabilitation services for children with neurological, muscular, and skeletal disabilities. Since the opening of CRIT, the Genetics team at Christus Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine have been privileged to have a Genetic Counseling Clinic. The genetic counselors see patients from all over the United States who have a range of genetic conditions and medical conditions. The Genetic Counselor's role in the clinic includes providing genetic counseling services to patients with known or unknown genetic conditions.
The genetic counselors work with a wonderful team of other healthcare providers at CRIT including dietitians, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, and social workers to name a few. As of 2021, CRIT has served 4,267 persons from all over the United States. In light of the success of this first institute in the United States, TeletonUSA is looking to build more CRIT locations.
To find out more about CRIT and how to refer your patients, please visit: CRIT - Children's Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT).