The symposium was sponsored by Almana & Partners WLL, a major Qatari distribution company, and supported by QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank, and Clyde & Co., rapidly expanding global law firm.

The symposium was led by a consortium of internationally recognized experts in the field of Autism and related disorders, welcoming more than 200 representatives  from the leading international schools, nurseries and clinicians.

Commenting on the symposium, Dr. Adrienne Robek, Clinical Director at Child Development Center, said:

“I would like to share my appreciation to the respected panel, sponsors and participants who made this event a success. The objective was to discuss the latest best practices and developments in Autism therapy aiming to raise awareness about this growing global epidemic.” 

Speaking at the event were Dr. Fouad Al Shaban (MD, MSc, PhD) - Senior Scientist at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Dr. Jungyeon Kim - Head of Policy Development at WISH, and Dr. Muhammad Waqar Azeem - Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Sidra Medical and Research Center and Deputy Chair of WISH Autism Research Forum. Additional, Child Development Center heads of department participated each in their respective field: Carole McGuinness - Head of Early Intervention Program, Jennelle Olalo - Early Intervention Curriculum Specialist, Valmerie Gordon - Senior Occupational Therapist, Keren vanRooyen - Occupational Therapy Consultant and Oksana Kamenetskaya - Head of Speech and Language Pathology.

The Autism Outreach and Training Symposium provided an opportunity for important dialogue about identifying the needs of children on the autism spectrum and their families in Qatar; while designed to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist professionals, educators, and families with the tools necessary to support children. It focused on addressing real-life situations faced by those who work directly with these individuals.