PHCC raises awareness of ASD in schools

On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, observed annually on April 2, Dr Sadriya al-Kohji, senior community medicine consultant, Primary Health Care Corporation ( PHCC) has highlighted the services offered in this regard.PHCC provides the "EarlyBird" programme in Qatar, specifically designed for parents of preschool-age children diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary objective is to support parents in understanding autism in their children, enabling them to facilitate communication methods with their children and improve their behaviour within their natural environment. To date, a total of 932 parents in Qatar have been trained on the EarlyBird programme.PHCC provides ASD screening as part of the Well-Baby Clinic’s services as it is conducted for children at the age of 18 months and 30 months. In 2023, a total of 25,797 ASD screening tests were administered, Dr al-Kohji said. In addition, sensory-friendly rooms are now available in some of PHCC health centres designed for children diagnosed with ASD. The aim of these rooms is to create a positive experience for these children during their visits to the health centres and to ensure that they feel calm, comfortable and engaged in an environment that caters to their sensory abilities."This training focuses on enhancing awareness of ASD within the education sector including teachers, psychologists, social workers, nurses and all those involved with students and their parents in schools. The training material aims to enhance awareness of ASD and its associated symptoms and to understand the needs of autistic individuals at all levels, in order to enable education employees to recognise and understand ASD cases and provide the required support within their role in education,” Dr al-Kohji said."The fast-track service is launched across all PHCC health centres. This service is designed to streamline and expedite care delivery process at PHCC health centres” she added. Dr al-Kohji noted that PHCC marked the World Autism Awareness Day by organising a variety of activities and events. PHCC health centres also marked this day by organising many awareness-raising activities which encompassed the provision of sensory playrooms available in some health centres for children to enjoy.Moreover, various ASD awareness messages were also shared on PHCC’s social media platforms. PHCC’s engagement included the delivery of ASD health education and awareness promotion led by its expertise physicians where various awareness-raising activities carried out including the provision of educational materials, interactive games, sensory toys and an educational presentation.