P0156 - Autistic spectrum disorders awareness program among teachers & parents in Qatari governmental school

Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) defined as persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts with restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period and causing clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of current functioning with no explanation by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay.

Objective:
The goal of this project was to educate the parents and teachers about ASD (definitions, symptoms and sings and diagnostic criteria), as well as educate the primary school teachers and social workers about importance of diagnosing ASD in children and its impact on children’s education and when to seek medical advice during the awareness month of autism.
Method
Collaborative work was done between Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Healthcare Institution and Ministry of Education in April 2019 (international autism awareness month). The program was organized targeting the primary and intermediate Qatari governmental schools; most of them have a special needs program for children with autism and learning disabilities (integrated education program at school).
Eight schools enrolled in this workshop, primary and middle schools for boys and girls with 170 attendees.
The program was consist of interactive session and pre and post survey concerning ASD information and the Pediatrician gave the Didactic lectures.
Pre and post session survey was distribute to the attendee. It includes wide range of questions to explore their knowledge in autisms, its sign and symptoms, how to deal with autistic child in school and home
Results
Total of 170 filled the survey
• Teachers were (75.7 %)
• Social worker /nurses (10%)
• Mother (4.3 %)
• Qatari attended were 35 %

Results showed that 90% of the attendees reflected positively on this workshop
There was significant increase in knowledge about children with Autistic spectrum disorder and how to deal with them as well as proper referral for diagnose and intervention (full result in the tables)

Conclusion:

This workshop shed the light on important yet underdiagnosed disease among school age children, the teachers and school personnel felt comfortable in detecting these children and working with them.
Future goal is to establish national autistic spectrum disorder awareness program among parents and teachers in all schools targeting primary, middle and secondary schools in Qatar, aiming to address need of early identification of ASD for intervention.