Hope Qatar holds free medical camp to mark Autism Awareness Day

On the occasion of Autism Awareness Day, a free medical camp was conducted for children with special needs at Hope Qatar Centre for Special Needs in Doha.
Children and youth with disabilities, including autism and Down Syndrome, and other neuro-diverse individuals participated together with their families.
The medical camp was conducted in co-ordination with Reyada Medical Centre. More than 80 individuals benefited from the camp and associated activities, a press statement noted.
A team of three specialist doctors from Reyada Medical Centre together with a medical team conducted the consultation and investigations. Participants of the camp, including the children and their families were able to check their BMI, vitals and blood sugar, and also have their eyesight checked apart from being able to discuss and consult with a general practitioner and a paediatrician available on campus.
The camp, which was conducted on the premises of Hope Qatar Centre for Special Needs, also provided an opportunity for the parents to discuss concerns about the development of their children with a highly qualified team of special educators, speech therapists, occupational therapists and behaviour therapists from the centre. A range of indoor and outdoor activities, including sensory activities, sports, games and fun activities, were conducted for the children and adults who visited the camp.
Sensory Souq, a supplier of specialised toys and sensory items for differently abled children, was also available on campus with a stall where parents could procure essential sensory products.
Dr Rajeev Thomas, founder and managing director of Hope Qatar, said Autism Spectrum Disorder is a diagnosis that is characterised by differences in communication skills, social skills and some restrictive and repetitive behaviours. While this condition imposes certain challenges in the developmental and cognitive abilities of persons on the autism spectrum, there are also some bright features such as the ability to concentrate and focus on certain activities, he added.
"Many famous persons in the field of science, arts and business, such as Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, actors such as Anthony Hopkins, businessmen, including Bill Gates and Elon Musk, are all individuals with autism" said Dr Thomas. "Therefore, we should not look down upon any individual with autism - or for that matter any special needs, because each person is capable of unknown abilities."