Experts in speech and language pathology from the US and professionals in the field of special education will come together to address issues faced by people affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

The Fifth Annual Autism Around The World Conference 2014 will be held on February 20 and 21 at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Center, Dubai Healthcare City, in collaboration with the Child Early Intervention Medical Center (CEIMC), UAE Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the UAE Autism Society.

Under the theme ‘Communication and Language Development for Individuals Affected with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD),’ the conference will provide insights into how the lifelong developmental disability affects communication and social interaction.

The experts will share topics essential for successful communication and education support planning, specifically intervention in preschool and school settings.

It will also discuss current assessment and intervention strategies for children with severe speech disorders with an emphasis on linguistic theory and linguistically based analysis, target selection, and intervention methods.

According to statistics from Autism Speaks, a global organisation involved in fundraising, science, and advocacy efforts, one out of 88 children born today will be diagnosed with autism by the time they are eight years old.  

Therefore, early intervention and planning is critical to help more children learn and integrate into mainstream schools, it said.

Dr Hibah Shata, managing director and co-founder of CEIMC, said: “We believe that every child has the right to mainstream education and as leaders in inclusion, we have successfully managed to mainstream around 70 per cent of the children in our centre.”

“To achieve these goals, we need to work hard with the community, educators and families to advocate and ensure that children not only find placement in schools but are supported to reach their maximum potential inside the school,” she said. - TradeArabia News Service