KUWAIT: Kuwait is a global leader in the field of research and care for autistic people, with many professional bodies coordinating to improve the services offered to these members of Kuwaiti society, said the director of Kuwait Autism Center, Dr Samira Al-Saad, on Monday.

Autism has been identified as the third most common disability in children since its initial diagnosis and definition some 50 years ago, Dr. Al-Saad revealed. The condition is defined as "difficulties in communication and social interaction and difficulties in concentration" and most physicians now believe it is most probably caused by "physical, not psychological" factors.

Abnormalities in speech, dialogue, movement and other characteristics are amongst the indications that a child could be autistic. Though most autistic people exhibit signs of the condition from birth, others fail to show normal growth and development of social skills and may exhibit abnormal behaviors and attitude at later stages in life, such as repetitive movement or even violence and inflicting bodily harm, she explained.

To date, scientists have failed to identify the gene(s) responsible or connected to the condition, but there is much interest in research and development in programs to care for individuals with autism," Dr. Al-Saad revealed.

The distinguished medical expert recalled the first classroom for autistic children in Kuwait, which was set up at the home of a Kuwaiti parent of an autistic child in 1985. Another classroom was established at the Kuwait Disabled Society's headquarters later, and the first nursery specifically for autistic children was established by Asrar Al-Qabandi, who later became one of Kuwait's martyrs during the 1990-91 Iraqi occupation.

The next step for the region's autistic community was taken in cooperation with Al-Faysaliya Charitable Women Association in Jeddah during the occupation. The association subsequently opened a number of Friends Autistic Classrooms' in 1993, with this initiative later developing into the Jeddah Autism Center.

Back in post-liberation Kuwait, a national autism program was launched through the Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation in 1993 in the Rowdha area, and the Kuwait Autism Center was finally inaugurated by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in January 2011.

The new center is equipped with fully and appropriately furnished classrooms, training halls and facilities, and a theatre for different activities, as well as clinics and offices for physicians and other specialists. The center's latest achievement was being selected to host the World Autism Forum in 2014 in recognition of its many contributions in the field of care for autistic people, said Dr. Al-Saad.

We at the center cooperate with international specialists and institutions to improve our counseling and services," and "take part in international training programs and forums," she explained. These events are just the beginning, Dr. Al-Saad revealed. "The next step for Kuwait is establishing a center to take care of autistic people over 21 years of age, and our center already has an ISO certificate for good management (2002), a Philip Morris Award (2003), a UNESCO Juan Amos Comenio award (2009), and a European Union prestigious Chaillot Prize (2009)." - Kuwait Times