{"id":38428,"date":"2019-04-02T05:23:55","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T05:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=38428"},"modified":"2019-04-02T05:23:55","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T05:23:55","slug":"sudan-protest-demands-legitimate-but-caused-deaths-says-al-bashir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=38428","title":{"rendered":"Sudan protest demands \u2018legitimate\u2019 but caused deaths, says Al-Bashir"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nDUBAI: While awareness of autism has improved in the Middle East, the stigma surrounding it still lingers, according to experts and\u00a0parents of children with the condition, who are using World Autism Day to call for more awareness, early detection and better inclusion.<\/p>\n

\nThe UN marks the day each year on April 2, and landmarks and buildings worldwide are lit up in blue to bring attention to, and acceptance of, the neurobiological disorder that affects communication, behavior and social relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nGlobally, the World Health Organization estimates that the prevalence of\u00a0autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one per 160 children.<\/p>\n

\nThe prevalence in the Middle East is still unknown, largely due to a lack of diagnoses or a lack of acceptance from parents.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere\u2019s a significant paucity of data on prevalence or scientific research in the field of ASD in Arab countries,\u201d said Dr. Arun Sharma,\u00a0medical director of Dubai\u2019s Emirates Hospital Clinic.<\/p>\n

\nAvailable reports suggest that the prevalence of ASD is 1.4 per 10,000 children in Oman, 29 in the UAE and 59 in Saudi Arabia, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe lower incidence of ASD might be due to the shortage of specialists to diagnose it properly, and the lack of parents\u2019 awareness to recognize symptoms and seek diagnostic\u00a0clarification,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThings are likely to improve with the advent of new health care facilities, more neuropsychiatric professionals and growing social acceptance, but the region has a long way to go, Sharma added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe Middle East, when it comes to making a diagnosis of autism, doesn\u2019t fare well compared to countries in the West,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSome parents still evince little inclination in acknowledging that their child may have an autistic issue. When\u00a0told by a neurologist \/ psychiatrist, their first reaction is to erupt in an emotional rage, followed by a long duration of denial.\u00a0This goes on to prove that the stigma around the condition is almost as pervasive as the disorder itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nRana Akkad Atassi heads the UAE-based special needs center Jad\u2019s Inclusion, named after her autistic son who died in his sleep last summer. The center helps fill the gap between mainstream and special needs education.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere has certainly been a huge improvement in the past five years when it comes to diagnosis, awareness and inclusion of autism in the Middle East,\u201d Atassi told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe see the launch of new therapy centers, a number of\u00a0awareness and support campaigns etc, but we still have a long way ahead of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDespite the great advancement achieved in the region in the last couple of years, we still have a lack of diagnostic centers and therapists when compared to the rest of the world. Moreover, the quality of what\u2019s available is still far\u00a0from the benchmark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThere have been many improvements across the Middle East. For example, Saudi Arabia\u2019s first autism center was relaunched in Jeddah\u2019s Al-Shatei district as an integrated facility for\u00a0rehabilitating children.<\/p>\n

\nThe Jeddah Autism Center has been widely recognized as one of the leading facilities in the Arab world.<\/p>\n

\nNew rules launched by the UAE\u2019s education regulator state that all private schools in Dubai must be able to cater for special needs children by 2020.<\/p>\n

\nLast month, the country hosted the\u00a0Special Olympics, which saw athletes with a range of mental disabilities \u2014 including those on the autism spectrum \u2014 compete against each other on\u00a0a global platform.<\/p>\n

\nThey included Saudi national Abdulmalik Almuhayfith, an athlete with autism who competed in roller skating.<\/p>\n

\nThose close to him highlight how much he respects punctuality, a common trait of those with\u00a0autism.<\/p>\n

\nIn the future, Almuhayfith hopes to become a TV presenter. He relished the chance to shine at the Special Olympics, and parents of others with autism say they hope for more\u00a0platforms that allow all children to showcase their skills, regardless of their ability.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIn the UAE, we\u2019re lucky to have some good-quality centers with qualified therapists for those with autism,\u201d said Zora M\u2019salka, a 35-year-old Canadian living in Dubai whose 6-year-old twins Mak and Mow both have autism.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOne of the best examples of inclusion in the UAE was just last month when it hosted the Special Olympics. It was so amazing to see the leaders of this country get involved, and all the people of determination who did such\u00a0an amazing job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nHowever, \u201cthere are very long waiting lists for treatment, and the prices for assessments are very expensive,\u201d M\u2019salka said.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"
\nAbdulmalik Almuhayfith, a Saudi athlete with autism who competed in the Special Olympics. Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\u201cAs for inclusion, we\u2019re so far behind. We\u2019ve been rejected from so many schools without them even giving a chance for\u00a0assessment. As soon as they hear \u2018autism,\u2019 it\u2019s a \u2018no\u2019 or \u2018we\u2019re full\u2019,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere\u2019s a stigma surrounding autism. Our kids are always being judged, and people stare and give unwanted advice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cBut the situation is slowly improving. People are getting to be more aware. I\u2019m hopeful that things are taking a\u00a0drastic change to a positive future for our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nIn her line of work, Atassi sees many issues surrounding autism, most chiefly misdiagnosis, which prevents children from receiving critical early intervention, and the cultural stigma. \u201cA wrong diagnosis or treatment is worse than not getting any, and sadly I see many places taking advantage of parents\u2019 ignorance and charging them exorbitant amounts of money for treatments that might be doing more harm\u00a0than good,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s still a stigma among many people in the region. The fact that autism is a diagnosis that doesn\u2019t show physically makes it easier for parents to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nApril McCabe, an American expat who runs the Autism Mom Dubai support group, said while the Middle East has \u201ccome a long way\u201d in the 11 years she has lived in the UAE, when it comes to improving detection and\u00a0treatment, \u201cwe still have a long way to go.\u201d She added: \u201cUnfortunately, diagnosis is extremely expensive and many parents can\u2019t afford to get a proper diagnosis for their child, which in turn leaves the parents lost and not knowing where to go for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nMcCabe, whose 15-year-old\u00a0son Owen has autism, said many doctors charge 7,000 UAE dirhams ($1,866) or more for a diagnosis, and support for autistic children can be even more expensive, starting at 10,000 dirhams per month for applied behavior analysis therapy. \u201cIt would be great if the government could regulate this and offer families some support,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\nAndrea Allen, a 45-year-old British expat living in Dubai, has a 12-year-old son, Oscar, with autism. She said there are still stigmas surrounding ASD.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMany feel it\u2019s a mental illness, whereas in fact it\u2019s a neurological\u00a0disorder. The individual was born this way, and instead of fearing their differences, we should embrace them, and we\u2019ll learn so much about the world through their eyes,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\nResearch has shown that early intervention can improve a child\u2019s overall development. Children who receive autism-appropriate education and support at key developmental stages are more likely to gain essential social skills and\u00a0react better in society. Essentially, early detection can provide an autistic child with the potential for a better life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAngela Geiger, president and CEO of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, said the focus is on lowering the age of diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\nAutism can be diagnosed as early as 2 years old, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a US federal agency, found in 2018 that most children were being diagnosed at the age of 4.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe important thing about that is that diagnosis gets you right into timely interventions, and the better that intervention is, you can be your best self,\u201d said Geiger.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI: While awareness of autism has improved in the Middle East, the stigma surrounding it still lingers, according to experts and\u00a0parents of children with the condition, who are using World Autism Day to call for more awareness, early detection and better inclusion. The UN marks the day each year on April 2, and landmarks and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":38429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}