Qatar’s health sector keeps pace with world’s latest developments in ASD services

Qatar joins other countries today to mark the World Autism Awareness Day with an aim to make people understand and accept people with autism, foster worldwide support, and inspire the society. The 2021 World Autism Awareness Day observance will address these issues through a virtual event that will include moderated panel discussions with individuals on the autism spectrum who have themselves experienced the challenges and seen these new opportunities in the employment market.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched a website for the annual Qatar Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Symposium which will begin today. The site includes the symposium’s key discussions on ASD research findings in Qatar and the Gulf and international experiences in implementing new programs for ASD. It highlights that early screening and applied behavioral analysis, with emphasis on the importance of the role of the family, especially parents, in directing therapeutic and training services provided to ASD children. “People with ASD are one of the priority groups that receives the care and attention of the health sector in Qatar, given the importance of providing specialized and Qatar advanced services to this precious group,” said Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department at the Ministry in message published on the website. “The health sector in Qatar is keen to keep pace with the world’s latest developments in the field of ASD services, therefore came the launch of the National Autism Plan, conducting specialized studies on the prevalence of ASD in Qatar, in addition to other consolidated efforts with aim to integrate persons with ASD into society,” he added. The Qatar’s Annual Autism Symposium also seeks to contribute to achieving the goals of the National Autism Plan by raising awareness of parents and enabling them to reach out to experts from different countries and communities to obtain the latest and reliable information related to the treatment services and programs dedicated to ASD individuals in Qatar. “We hope that the workshop and symposium will contribute to realizing the desired goals and to make the best possible use of the training programs dedicated to supporting the services provided to people with ASD,” said Dr. Nouf Al Siddiqi, Heath Lead of National Autism Plan. In 2007, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser supported the campaign calling for declaring a world autism awareness day at the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which was unanimously approved by all UN member states.