Muscat: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) specialists and members of the public valued the Royal orders of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to allocate RO 7 million for the establishment of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Care and Rehabilitation Center in Muscat Governorate. They told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the Royal attention demonstrates a model of 'continuous attention of a leader who feels the needs of all segments of society'.
According to Oman News Agency, Dr. Nadia Ali Al Ajmi, Director of the National Autism Center, affirmed that the Royal initiative to establish the ASD Care and Rehabilitation Center lends strong support to ASD individuals. The ASD center constitutes a significant step forward in achieving social justice, said Dr. Nadia, noting that the Royal gesture also helps raise public awareness about the deficiency and support the families of ASD persons, besides honing the skills of operators in the field and providing integrated services in all related areas.
Speaking in detail, Dr. Nadia pointed out that the new center will provide early diagnosis and assessment through a set of services, including the assessment of ASD individuals' conditions and rehabilitation services to be rendered through special programmes to improve ASD persons' social behaviour and communication skills. She added that the ASD Center's programmes and services will focus on occupational therapy, speech therapy, educational and behavioural therapy and other support services.
Dr. Nadia explained that the center will also offer advice and assistance to families of ASD people on how to better deal with related challenges. She added that the center will introduce world-standard specialized training programmes for professionals.
For her part, Dr. Laila Saleh Al Shaqsi, paediatric consultant at Royal Hospital's Department of Developmental Medicine, said that the establishment of the ASD Centre constitutes a strategic step towards the realization of Oman Vision 2040, which, she explained, aims to empower people with disabilities and guarantee their rights. She added that the center will ease the integration of ASD individuals into society. She pointed out that 'the center is a true investment in building a more inclusive and humane society'.
The ASD center, she explained, will see the collaboration of efforts of medical staff from the Ministry of Health and the University Medical City in providing early diagnosis and rehabilitation treatments to ASD individuals and ongoing support to the families of ASD persons. Dr. Laila said that the new center will play a key role in collecting data to support research on the autism spectrum disorder. This will in turn help build a robust database that would assist the government in devising effective early intervention strategies and evidence-based policies, she added.
In similar comments, Dr. Alia Salim Al Ghabshi, Head of the Board of Directors of Oman Autism Society, said that the Royal initiative to establish 'the ASD Center will fill a major gap in current services in the fields of early diagnosis, rehabilitation and education of ASD persons, in addition to raising community awareness, which will positively impact the quality of life this segment of society'.
Dr. Alia observed that specialized ASD centers provide a safe and supportive environment for developing the social, linguistic, and behavioural skills of autistic people. The centers will help ASD individuals to achieve independence and enhance their opportunities of learning and employment, said Dr. Alia. She added that organizing public awareness campaigns and related community initiatives contributes to removing social barriers and enhancing community acceptance of this group.
Dr. Alia described the Royal orders to study the need of other governorates for ASD as 'a basic step toward ensuring equitable distribution of services across the Sultanate of Oman'. She stressed that the move requires good coordination among government departments and civil society institutions to develop plans for ensuring that such centers would meet the needs of the governorates. She also underlined the need to allocate budgets to ensure that the centers would render sustainable services.
Khamis Khatir Al-Salti, parent of an autistic child, said, 'the establishment of a specialized center for autism spectrum disorders realizes a long-awaited dream by many parents of ASD children in the Sultanate of Oman, notably amid the relative rise in the number of such cases in recent years.' Al-Salti expressed gratitude for the Royal gesture which, he said, would will provide the ASD segment with personalized care through precise, in-depth understanding of their mental and psychological needs. 'The center will boost the integration ASD individuals into the community and provide the best possible care for real-life practice,' Al-Salti added.
He explained that the center is set to accommodate the largest possible number of autistic patients from various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, given the fact that it would be operated by qualified medical personnel.
For her part, Shamsa Abdullah Al-Sharji, parent of an autistic child, said, 'Besides being a leading national project, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Care and Rehabilitation Center represents a noble humanitarian gesture that embodies the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan and his genuine concern for the quality of life autistic persons.' "The ASD center constitutes a pioneering step that paves the way for a bright future of opportunities for this segment of society. It inspires parents and instills hope and provides our children with the attention they deserve for a better tomorrow," she added.