DOHA: Qatar-based academic and experts have called to integrate children with disabilities, particularly those with autism.
The call came at a seminar 'Employment: The Autism Advantage' hosted by the Department of Psychological Sciences in Qatar University College Education (QU-CED).
Over 100 participants increased their knowledge on autism issues at the seminar held here in support of World Autism Awareness Day.
CED organized the seminar in partnership with Al Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs and the Intellectual Disability and Autism Program at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU).
The 2-day event increased awareness on the employability of people with autism due to their heightened abilities in pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and attention to detail.
The seminar highlighted this aspect which makes them ideally suited to certain types of employment, such as software testing, data entry, lab work and proofreading, among others.
The event featured an open session delivered by AGU coordinator of Intellectual Disability and Autism Program Dr Maryam Isa Alshirawi. She gave a presentation focused on AGU’s various programmes and teachers' professional development, as well as the programs offered by AGU's non-governmental partners.
CED professors and Al Shafallah members lectured on autism definition and characteristics, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services.
CED Dean Dr Hissa Sadiq said, "The College serves as a significant link between the government, the education sector and the society in engaging dialogue on timely issues such as inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of society."
Al Shafallah Executive Director Mohamed Al Sada said, "Through several programmes, advanced services, human expertise and community outreach at the Center, we aim to rehabilitate children with disabilities and integrate them into the society, as well as promote equality for them to become active members in the community. This is achieved with the collaborative efforts with the different institutions in Qatar, contributing to a higher level of awareness and the fulfillment of this vision."
Event co-ordinator Dr Asma Al Attiyah said, "The event brings together psychologists and experts to discuss issues on autism and share research outputs on the abilities of people with autism, as well as their contributions in the workplace. It is an invaluable opportunity to advance the awareness of our students and the wider community on this disorder and orient them on the advantages of involving people with autism in various professions. It also shows QU’s commitment to inclusion of people with disabilities into all areas of society."
Al Shafallah Psychological and Family Support Director Dr Al Attrash said, "We are dedicated to providing the best services to our students by using procedures that are supported by scientific research to maximize their abilities and potential to the fullest extent in order to live their life as independently as possible." (QNA)
