The Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities celebrates the World Autism Awareness Day, which falls tomorrow / Sunday / the second of April, under the slogan "Transformation.. towards an inclusive world of neurodiversity for all". In statements on this occasion, Ms. La’a Mohammed Abu Alfain, Executive Director of the Shafallah Center, said that the celebration of World Autism Awareness Day is an important opportunity to highlight the achievements made by the State of Qatar in caring for people with autism spectrum disorder, and to work to achieve more successes in integrating, caring and containing children. This important group of society. She pointed out that this year’s slogan came to confirm the need to move away from the treatment narratives for people with autism, and to focus on accepting and supporting them, ensuring their involvement and defending their rights, indicating that the new narrative enables people with autism to fully integrate them as valuable members of their families and communities. She pointed out that the new narrative facilitates focusing attention on the contributions made by people with autism to the world, as is the case with this year’s celebration, noting the efforts of the Shafallah Center in order to provide the appropriate environment for the target groups of people with autism at various levels, whether academic, functional or social. She appreciated the State’s special interest in persons with disabilities, including those with autism, as evidenced by the launch of the National Plan for Autism, which aims to improve the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families, in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030. She explained that the State has paid great attention to the rehabilitation and integration of people with It developed plans and initiatives that contribute to spreading awareness among parents and specialists, and provided comprehensive and integrated services that contributed to achieving positive results towards developing the developmental and cognitive abilities of people with autism, thus contributing to facilitating their daily lives and supporting the role of their families. She indicated that the National Autism Plan is based on the Qatar National Vision 2030 in ensuring the continuation of a decent life for the people of Qatar, generation after generation, pointing out that the Ministry of Social Development and Family and the relevant authorities have made great efforts in preparing a comprehensive and integrated national plan to identify the needs, directions and aspirations that would reach To achieve the desired goals, and to support all segments of society, including people with disabilities and those with autism. Regarding the services provided by the Shafallah Center, the Executive Director of the Center noted that the autism department at the center receives children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, males and females, from the ages of 6 to 16 years. for employment. La’a Abu Alfain added that the Shafallah Center provides comprehensive educational and rehabilitative services for people with autism, commensurate with their educational and skill needs and on an individual basis, taking into account the specific needs and challenges of each member, as an individual educational plan is prepared for each member containing educational and skill goals according to the priority of each member, as The individual educational plan is the official document between the teacher on the one hand and the child and his family on the other hand, and it is the focus of attention during the year. In the autism department, all educational services are provided in the context of specialized educational classes, which receive 6 members per class, who are divided into classroom groups be as consistent as possible.
Mrs. La’a Mohammed Abu Alfain, Executive Director of the Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities, confirmed that the educational, educational and rehabilitative programs of the center are implemented in cooperation with the families of the members, as partners in the provision of services, noting that the center seeks to develop the capabilities of the members enrolled in various aspects, so that they can To overcome the educational and behavioral challenges they face. She added that the Shafallah Center also aims to prepare its members to reach the maximum possible level of adaptation to their communities and self-reliance, by developing their capabilities and providing them with the necessary skills in social, behavioral, academic and functional aspects, as well as aspects of language, communication, daily life skills, aspects of motor skills, mobility and health. Safety, play and other skills. In her statements on the occasion of the celebration of the International Autism Awareness Day, Laal’a Abu Alfain noted that the autism department at the center provides various educational, rehabilitative and skill services to its members based on a set of curricula based on scientific evidence, which keep pace with the latest developments in the education of people with autism, in a manner commensurate with their needs. and their educational characteristics. She explained that educational services are provided according to reliable, systematic international programmes "applied behavior analysis"It is one of the reliable scientific methodologies that have proven its efficiency in teaching people with autism, as this methodology is based on the principles of the behavioral school and has achieved great success in educational and behavioral interventions with this group of learners. She indicated that the Shafallah Center adopted the Verbal Behavior Program "Evaluation of stages of development" As one of the most important evaluation tools, based on the results of this evaluation, the individual educational program is designed for each member in a manner commensurate with his needs and develops his skills in a practical and functional manner that shows its impact on the child’s daily life, by providing the child with the skills that enable him to overcome the challenges that he may face. in its surrounding environment outside the center. She noted the provision of lectures, courses and training workshops by the Center’s Family Support Department for parents of people with autism, with the aim of providing them with the necessary skills to achieve a better life and higher mental health, as well as empowering families with disabilities and developing their ability and competence to improve their skills and update their information on everything related to the child’s disability. The department holds many workshops, including a workshop on the role of the family in caring for their children with autism spectrum, a workshop on the role of the family in developing language skills for people with disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and a workshop on strategies for developing communication skills for children with disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, in addition to a workshop on behavior modification strategies for people with disabilities. disability. The Executive Director of the Shafallah Center confirmed the center’s endeavor to adopt and sponsor issues that contribute to supporting people with autism and enabling them to actively participate and integrate them into society, in a way that provides them with an opportunity for self-realization and support for their cause and right to life, calling on all governmental and private institutions and sectors to support the center, unify efforts and solidarity For a better future for people with autism and their families. It is noteworthy that the celebration of the International Autism Awareness Day comes at the suggestion of the State of Qatar, where Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, provided her support for the campaign that called for defining the International Autism Awareness Day in the year 2007, during the 62nd session of the association. General Assembly of the United Nations, and was approved unanimously by all member states of the United Nations, making the second of April of each year the International Autism Awareness Day.
