Qatar: Jasour – News Desk
Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji Reveals Over 25,000 Autism Spectrum Disorder Screenings Conducted Last Year
Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji, Senior Consultant in Community Medicine at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Assistant Director of Child and Adolescent Health, and National Lead for the Healthy Children and Adolescents Strategy in Qatar 2018-2022, revealed that more than 25,000 screenings for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were conducted last year at health centers affiliated with PHCC.
She confirmed that the screenings for Autism Spectrum Disorder are conducted for children aged 18 months and 30 months. Based on the screening results, suspected cases are referred to specialized clinics at Hamad Medical Corporation or Sidra Medicine for necessary medical evaluation, diagnosis, and early intervention.
Dr. Al-Kohaji stated that in 2023, the number of screenings for Autism Spectrum Disorder reached 25,797, with 281 suspected cases referred for further evaluation. She highlighted that when suspected cases are identified, health education and necessary counseling are provided by the institution’s doctor, followed by referral to specialized clinics at Hamad Medical Corporation or Sidra Medicine for final evaluation, diagnosis, and early intervention based on the diagnosis results.
She noted that one of the most important symptoms that parents should be aware of includes:
Self-Education for Parents: Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji emphasized the necessity for self-education for parents regarding healthy child development, utilizing available health education resources at PHCC, Hamad Medical Corporation, and Sidra Medicine. She stressed the importance of continually seeking medical advice from specialists concerning the child’s growth and health. She advised parents to take the available screenings at PHCC seriously, ask questions, and discuss the child’s development with the specialist doctor in well-child clinics to ensure proper growth and necessary early intervention.
Early Bird Program: Dr. Al-Kohaji explained that the institution provides assistance services to families of special needs children, including the “Early Bird” program, which is a training program for parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder below school age. This program aims to support parents in understanding autism in their children, facilitate communication methods with their children, and improve their behavior in their natural environment. Approximately 1,000 families have been trained in the program to date.
Fast-Track Service for Special Needs Individuals: Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji highlighted the provision of a fast-track service for all age groups of special needs individuals, aimed at facilitating and expediting access to medical consultation and therapeutic services for special needs and autism clients at health centers. This includes providing healthcare services in a fast-track manner and offering necessary support during the visit by the customer service team (Hayyak) and the medical staff at the center.
Training Medical Staff: Medical and administrative staff at PHCC have also been trained on Autism Spectrum Disorder awareness by experienced specialists to provide regulated healthcare according to the needs of special needs individuals.
Training Educational Staff in Schools: Educational staff in both public and private schools have been trained to enhance awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This training aims to equip educational staff with the ability to identify autism cases, provide necessary support, and make appropriate referrals, ensuring a regulated educational environment tailored to the needs of special needs individuals.
Raising Autism Awareness in Schools: Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji revealed that all educational staff in public and private schools from primary to secondary levels in Qatar have been trained on Autism Spectrum Disorder awareness. The training focuses on spreading and enhancing autism awareness within the educational sector, including training teachers, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and anyone interacting with students and their parents.
The training content emphasized enhancing awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder, its associated symptoms, and understanding the needs of special needs individuals at all levels. This enables educational sector employees to identify and understand autism cases to provide the necessary support within their educational roles. Dr. Al-Kohaji noted that PHCC aims through this training to regulate educational environments in schools according to the abilities and needs of autism individuals.
Dr. Sadriya Al-Kohaji pointed out that one of PHCC’s most important initiatives is providing healthcare services in a suitable environment for autistic children at health centers. This includes creating sensory-friendly environments in waiting rooms of outpatient clinics and dental clinics, providing equipment and toys necessary for special needs children and adolescents to receive services in a suitable environment.
Conducting Screenings: Dr. Al-Kohaji mentioned that the number of adolescents who benefited from healthcare services at PHCC in 2023 was about 34,000. She explained that common problems faced by adolescents, addressed by a trained team in health centers to identify adolescent-related factors, include chronic disease patients refusing to take medications.
She added that this is one of the significant issues they are working to improve, along with addressing anorexia nervosa, especially among girls who are highly concerned about their appearance and have an obsession with it. These are issues they evaluate and make necessary referrals to relevant entities.
