A new center for autistic children will open in September at the emirate of Sharjah’s City for Humanitarian Services.
A spokesman told Gulf News on Wednesday that "the projected center is an expansion of the autism section that was opened at the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services in 1995."
"The decision to establish the center came as a result of two years of research and preparation. Experienced staff will be recruited to deal with autistic children and help them overcome their problems," the spokesman said.
He said parents of autistic children would also benefit from the center. It will eliminate the need to seek treatment for their children abroad, he added.
"We have 16 autistic children being treated at the autism section of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services at the moment. Those children will be transferred to the new autism center when it is officially inaugurated in September," he said.
The term 'autism' applies to certain children who are absorbed in their own internal worlds to various degrees, and who have severe social, communication, and behavioral problems, according to expert.
According to www.autism.com, the most cited statistic is that autism occurs in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births. This was based on large-scale surveys conducted in the United States and England. More recently, estimates on the prevalence of autism have ranged been as high as one quarter to one half percent of the population. These estimates typically include those with autism, Asperger syndrome, and PDD.
Autism is three times more likely to affect males than females. This gender difference is not unique to autism since many developmental disabilities have a greater male to female ratio - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
