Seminar on Autism & Learning Disabilities Awareness was organized in Karachi by the Autism Spectrum Disorders Resource Centre (ASDRC) Lahore on 12th December at a local hotel. It was attended by more than two hundred parents and professionals including teachers, doctors, and therapists.
Rukhsana Shah, CEO of Autism Spectrum Disorders Resource Centre (ASDRC), in her welcoming address, expressed her gratitude to the MJS Foundation for its financial and moral support, which has enabled the Centre to offer the finest trainings to teachers and parents. She stated that it was the Mission of ASDRC to create a critical mass of trained teachers and care-givers and to create maximum awareness in the country about autism and learning disabilities.
In her inaugural address, Mrs. Mahvash Jahangir Siddiqui, Chairperson of MJS Foundation, stated the Foundation was striving to improve health, education and social outcomes in Pakistan through the establishment of additional facilities in existing public and private hospitals, introducing educational and vocational colleges for persons with disabilities, empowering youth through leadership and enterprise support programmes, improving the quality of education and providing relief and rehabilitation services during natural disasters. Autism Resource Centre in Lahore set up by the Foundation is designed to create greater awareness about autism and learning disabilities in the country, and to train parents and teachers of special and mainstream schools in the relevant fields.
Dr. Shahnaz Ibrahim started the seminar by bringing to light different aspects of Autism. She gave a detailed presentation on the Autism Spectrum Disorders. She told that Autism is a mental disorder and that people who are afflicted with it deserves our special attention.
Dr. Aisha Sanober from the Aga Khan University gave a presentation on ADHD. Ms Mona Qaiser gave detailed presentation about Dyslexia and its management. Whereas Ms. Asma Ahmed, Clinical Psychologist at ASDRC discussed treatment and management techniques for children with ASD and the different therapies used to help them.
