Mrs. Maryam Saif Al Suwaidi - Executive Director of the Shafallah Center on World Autism Day

Ministries, institutions, and companies light up their buildings in blue to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day.

Maryam Al-Suwaidi... The state has contributed to adopting and sponsoring issues that contribute to supporting and enabling people with autism to participate effectively and integrate them into society.

The Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities celebrates the World Autism Awareness Day, Andon this occasion, Mrs., Maryam Saif Al-Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Shafallah Center, explained that this celebration is an important opportunity to highlight the achievements made by the State of Qatar in caring for people with autism spectrum disorder and working to achieve more successes in including, caring for and containing this important group of society.

And the Swedish worth The role of the Shafallah Center in exerting great efforts in order to provide the appropriate environment for the target groups of people with autism at all levels, whether educational, functional, or social, pointing to the state's special interest in persons with disabilities, including those with autism, through the launch of the National Autism Plan, which aims to improve the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families, in accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030.  

The Executive Director of the Shafallah Center said that the Autism Department receives children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, males, and females, from the age of 6 years to the age of 16years, where they move after reaching this age to the Training and Vocational Rehabilitation Department to receive vocational rehabilitation services and prepare for employment.

In this context, Al-Suwaidi pointed out that the Shafallah Center provides special education services and comprehensive rehabilitation services for people with autism. Where an Individual Educational Plan is prepared for each affiliate that contains priority educational and skill goals for each affiliate separately, 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, and in the Department of Autism all special educational services are provided in specialized classes that receive specific number of affiliates, by (6)affiliates per classroom, divided into classroom groups that are consistent with each other as much as possible.

Mrs. Maryam Saif Al-Suwaidi stressed that these programs are implemented in cooperation with the families of the affiliates as partners in providing the service through various communication channels, and said that the Shafallah Center seeks to develop the capabilities of the enrolled affiliates to enable them to overcome the challenges of special and behavioraleducation facing them and to prepare them to reach the maximum possible adaptation to their communities and rely on themselves, by developing their abilities and providing them with skills in various aspects such as the social and behavioural aspect, the functional academic aspect and aspects of Language and communication, the aspect of daily life skills, the aspect of motor skills, the aspect of mobility, health and safety, play skills and others kills, which are provided under the umbrella of reliable international programs and with the methodology of Applied Behaviour Analysis, which is one of the most important methodologies that have proven their efficiency in training and qualifying people with autism.

In this context, the Executive Director of the Shafallah Center said that the Department of Autism at the Center provides special education services and various habitation and skill services to its affiliates based on a set of reliable and evidence-based curricula, which keep pace with the latest developments in the habitation of the category of people with autism and commensurate with their needs and special educational characteristics, where educational services are provided in the Department of Autism under the umbrella of the so-called "ABA -APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS" methodology, which is a scientific methodology. Reliable based on the principles of the behavioural school and has proven successful in special and behavioraleducation interventions with them.

Mrs. Maryam Saif Al-Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Shafallah Center, confirmed that the Center has adopted the verbalbehavior program "Assessment of Stages of Development VB. MAPP" as one of the most important evaluation tools, where based on the results of this evaluation, the individual educational program is designed for each affiliate and 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 priority skills that enable him to overcome the challenges that may face him in the surrounding environment in his daily life outside the center. She said that most of the educational staff have received adequate training on the application and use of this program.

In another context, the Executive Director of the Shafallah Center said that the Family Support and Psychological Counselling Department at the Center provides lectures, courses and training workshops for families in order to provide them with the necessary skills for them to achieve a better life and higher mental health, as well as empowering families with disabilities, which leads to the development of family confidence in its abilities and efficiency and encourages them to continuously strive to improve their skills and update their information on everything related to their child's disability. The Department offers many workshops, including the role of the family in caring for their children with autism spectrum, the role of the family in developing language skills for people with disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, strategies for developing communication skills for children with disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and behaviour modification strategies for people with disabilities.

The Suwaidi added. The Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities strives to adopt and care for issues that contribute to supporting people with autism and enabling them to participate effectively and integrate them into society to achieve them an opportunity for self-realization and support their cause and their right to life, and she also indicated that the Shafallah Center aspires to support and respond to all governmental and private institutions and sectors to unify efforts and solidarity for a better future for people with autism and their families.

In a new context, Mrs. Maryam Saif AlSuwaidi, Executive Director of the Shafallah Center, said that the country, represented by the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, paid full attention to the rehabilitation and integration of people with autism in society, 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 capabilities of people with autism, which contributes to facilitating their daily lives and supports the role of their families.

On the other hand, the Suwaidi confirm that …. The National Autism Plan is based on the Qatar National Vision 2030in ensuring the continuation of a decent life for the people of Qatar generation after generation, and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030,launched by the State, stressed the State of Qatar's commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable groups, to ensure that they receive support and opportunities for active participation in society, and to expand social centres for people with disabilities, pointing out that the Ministry of Social Development and Family and the relevant authorities in the country have made efforts Great in preparing a comprehensive and integrated national plan to identify the needs, trends and ambitions that will reach the desired goals and push all segments of society, including people with disabilities, including those with autism.

The celebration on World Autism Day comes at the proposal of the State of Qatar, where Her Highness Shaikha Moza bint Nasser- may God protect her - extended her support to the campaign that called for the establishment of World Autism Awareness Day in 2007during the 62ndsession of the United Nations General Assembly, which was unanimously approved by all Member States. To become the second of April every year (World Autism Awareness Day).