Autism Connect 2024
June 9, 2024
Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl
Doha, Qatar
Autism Connect is the biggest community-driven autism networking event in Qatar dedicated to fostering connections, providing education, and promoting empowerment within the autism community. This year's Autism Connect Networking Event took place on June 9th, 2024.
During Autism Connect 2024, attendees had an opportunity to hear from speakers who are experts in the field of autism, including researchers, clinicians, advocates, and individuals with lived experience, connect with fellow members of the autism community, parents, professionals, researchers, advocates, and autism supporters, and explore a resource fair featuring over 40 different organizations, services, and support networks dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with autism and their families.
Dr. Aboud Eltom, MD, DCH, MSC, FRCPCH, PHD, a Developmental Pediatrician at Sidra Medicine delivered a keynote speaker of Autism Connect 2024, discussing best practices in autism assessment and diagnosis.
Three panel discussion sessions were scheduled during Autism Connect 2024. The expert panel at Autism Connect 2024 featured Dr. Alia Satti, Developmental Pediatrician at Sidra Medicine, Dr. Fouad Al-Shaban, Principal Investigator at QBRI and Joint Professor at HBKU, Dr. Ghizlane Bendriss, Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Lucy Wallis, Occupational Therapist & Sensory Integration Specialist at Child Development Center, and Aneela Mittal, Senior Speech & Language Pathologist and Feeding Therapist as Child Development Center. The panel, moderated by Child Development Center Director Dr. Kamila Janik covered the topics of diagnosis, intervention and advances in Autism research.
Another highlight of Autism Connect 2024, our Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) panel provided insights into the provision of school services for children with autism in Qatar including strategies and best practices for supporting students with Special Educational Needs in schools. A heartfelt thank you to our panelist Klelia Antoniou, Alexander Whitehead, Shannel Robinson, Ayesha Ahmed and Amy Bray. The panel was moderated by Dr. Kamila Janik, Director of Child Development Center for special needs.
The parents panel was an incredible session which involved a group of mothers and fathers sharing their lived experiences of raising a child with autism and navigating the journey from early years, through adolescence and into adulthood. The session was moderated by the Founder and CEO of CDC Hasna Nada.
Child Development Center through the years.
A decade of dedication to Qatar’s Special needs community.
CDC as one of the pioneering multidisciplinary therapy centers in Qatar providing child centered, high quality therapeutic services to children with autism and developmental delays, has created great impact in the community over the years.
As we continue to carry out and contribute to inclusion advocacy efforts, we take active part in supporting research by collecting data and participating in several research projects with various local and international stakeholders, we host workshops, family events, educational symposiums and conferences, we have moderated and contributed to autism panels in both WISH and WISE summits, we have hosted breakthrough speakers and educators in Qatar including Autistic self-advocate and educator Dr. Stephen Shore and Dr. Vincent Carbone.
CDC’s Founder, Hasna Nada was a member of the original working group under the Ministry of Public Health that developed the Qatar National Autism Strategy over a span of two years in 2016-17 including authoring sections of it.
CDC believes in a collaborative approach amongst private and public institutions and takes an active role in facilitating these connections and sharing of resources. We launched Autism Connect in 2022 and it has fast become a resourceful networking day bringing the community together and fostering creations and collaborations.
