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Kuwait and Autism

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Historical Background

As a mother of a child with autism, Dr. Samira Al-Saad was unable to enroll her child in the education system of Kuwait when she was diagnosed with autism in 1985. With lack of awareness and knowledge about autism in her country at that time, she decided to pursue her studies in autism in the USA and shift from her specialty in geology which cares for rocks and oil to autism. She was able to earn a master’s degree and PhD degree in the field of autism. The first class started at her home in 1988 and tried unsuccessfully to convince the educational authority to start a school for such handicapped. She moved to Saudi Arabia during the invasion of Kuwait where she started (1992) her second classes as an experimental model. After 2 years, she moved back to Kuwait, and, with the cooperation of the Public Endowment Foundation, she was able to establish the first integrated center for educating children with autism in the MENA region.

The program started with basic...

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Abbreviations

AAPEP:

Adolescent and adult psychoeducational profile

ABA:

Applied behavior analysis

ABLLS-R:

Assessment of basic language and learning skills – revised

ADOS:

Autism diagnostic observation schedule

AIT:

Auditory integration training

ASDAN:

Award scheme development and accreditation network

DISCO:

Diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders

GARS:

Gilliam autism rating scale

IEP:

Individualized educational plan

MENA:

Middle East and North Africa

PDD:

Pervasive developmental disorder

PEP-3:

Psychoeducational profile – 3rd edition

TTAP:

TEACCH transition assessment profile

References and Reading

  • Al-Mohaisen, A. (2003). A daylighting and electric lighting study for the Kuwait Autism center project, A technical report submitted to Kuwait Engineering Consultants (KEG), Kuwait: Office of the Consultation and Career Development (OCCD), College of Engineering and Petroleum-Kuwait University.

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  • Al-Saad, S. (1997). The identification of training and educational needs for autistic children from parents perspective in Kuwait & Saudi Arabia. Educational Journal of Academic Publication Council of Kuwait University, 12(45), Autumn (Arabic).

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  • Al-Saad, S. (2000). Implementation of an educational program for children with autism: The case of Kuwait. International Journal of Mental Health, 29(2), Summer.

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  • Association American Psychiatric. (2002). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

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  • Fido, A., & Al-Saad, S. (2005). Toxic trace element in the hair from Autistic children. Autism (Journal of Sage Publications & NAS), 9(3), 287–296.

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  • State of Kuwait – Law number 8 in 2010 for (The rights of people with disabilities in Al-Kuwait) Al-Yawm, The Official Gazette, Issue No. 964, Dated 28 Feb 2010.

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  • The policy of inclusion: Law No. 13/96 – In Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government formed a policy of inclusion (law 13/96), adopted in (1996), which asserts that people with disabilities have a fundamental right to live and grow within their local communities, making Kuwait probably the only Gulf country to adopt such a policy as a law.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kuwait Center for Autism, Al -Rawda, PO. Box: 33425, 73455, Kuwait, Kuwait

    Samira Al-Saad

Authors
  1. Samira Al-Saad
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samira Al-Saad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Al-Saad, S. (2015). Kuwait and Autism. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102017-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102017-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

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