Sultana Afdhal
On behalf of Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), WISH is conducting a three-year study to identify the gaps that exist in the provision of services for young adults with autism, and then make policy recommendations to address them. These recommendations will inform our plans to open a respite program to help autistic young adults who are entering the workplace.
Having autism is no reason not to excel – a belief that is at the core of The World Innovation Summit for Health’s (WISH) long-standing commitment to addressing the needs of Qatar’s local community in relation to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
I see my recent participation at the 3rd Annual Qatar Autism Awareness Gala in Washington D.C. – hosted by the Embassy of the State of Qatar in partnership with the Autism Society of America – as yet another occasion when WISH worked with others, to enhance our collective knowledge of the condition.
The theme – ‘The Spectrum of Opportunity’ – captured the importance of giving those with autism the same opportunities to excel, both professionally and socially, as everyone else. In this respect, the work of WISH has one goal – that is also shared by our international partners – to deliver opportunities to those with autism.
Qatar has long been part of the global drive to change the narrative surrounding diagnoses and the conditions for people with autism; from sponsoring a resolution dedicating a World Autism Awareness Day at the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 – now celebrated yearly – through launching its own National Autism Plan, to WISH producing a report entitled: ‘Autism: A Global Framework for Action’.
Our research firmly points towards the need for adequate provision of inclusive services across all sectors for those with autism. In this regard, Qatar is also one of only a few countries in the region with a national autism strategy. Under the Qatar National Autism Plan, healthcare leaders in the public and private sectors are working towards reaching 44 goals, targeted for full implementation by 2021.
The goals are founded on developing and delivering programs that enable early diagnosis of ASD and improving the quality of interventions and services. They also cover continuity of care, education and social participation and increasing public awareness.
On behalf of Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), WISH is conducting a three-year study to identify the gaps that exist in the provision of services for young adults with autism, and then make policy recommendations to address them. These recommendations will inform our plans to open a respite program to help autistic young adults who are entering the workplace.
In 2018, a pilot program titled ‘The Young Adults’ Life Skills Camp’ was hosted in collaboration with the Child Development Center and the MoPH, and sponsored by Occidental Petroleum Qatar Ltd. We hope to expand on that pilot program using our learnings from the three-year research as well as feedback from parents of autistic children.
Recently, representatives from the Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. – a premier provider of pediatric services in the US capital – paid a working visit to Doha to learn more about the life path of those on the autistic spectrum in Qatar. They focused on the critical phase that sees teenage years transition into adulthood, and shared experiences and expertise on the same.
In the interim, WISH will be working with some of Qatar’s largest employers to raise awareness of what to expect when hiring someone with autism. We have also developed a program to provide sports opportunities for children and young adults with autism and other conditions.
These initiatives are part of our overarching mission at WISH to build inclusive communities in Qatar, where every individual is an active and productive member of society.
In Qatar, and all over the world, addressing the challenges facing those with autism must take shape around programs that empower young adults with autism with the skills to become more independent. Because, when it comes to the spectrum of opportunity, we should all be ‘on the spectrum’.
Sultana Afdhal
CEO, WISH
An initiative of Qatar Foundation
