Hasna Nada, CEO and Founder of the Child Development Center

Hasna is a mother of two children on the Autism specturm, Faisal, now 18 years old and Omar who is 8 years old. She founded the Child Development Center for Special Needs in 2013, the first Multi Disciplinary therapy center in Qatar out of her personal experience and journey into finding and providing much needed quality therapy services for Faisal.

Since her son’s diagnosis at age 3, she has been a passionate Autism advocate, bringing attention to the need for adequate services, more inclusion and genuine acceptance in Qatar for Autistic individuals.

Hasna has spearheaded many Autism initiatives over the years, hosted community conferences, symposiums and networking events, brought Autism world experts, supported many research projects including the 2019 Prevalence Study, collaborated with multiple entities and is a member of the working group that delivered the Qatar National Autism Strategy under the Ministry of Public Health since 2015.

Hasna believes that parents play a crucial role in their child’s progress and that evidence-based knowledge can facilitate making informed choices, when supporting their child in achieving their potential and living a meaningful life.

Hasna holds a Bachelor Degree in Political Science and Economics from Franklin University Switzerland and a Master Degree in Teaching with a Special Education credential from the University of Southern California.