Dubai, 14 May 2011:  Dubai Early child Development Center (DECDC), a key initiative by the Community Development Authority (CDA), recently, launched an autism awareness campaign entitled "My world is different .... My skills are varied". The campaign is in line with the World Autism Awareness Day to increase community awareness about autism and to address the misconceptions associated with it. 

The campaign included workshops by a group of specialists in autism including Dr. Hussein Al Maseeh who focused on defining the behavior of autistic children from the psychological point of view and their behavior management; and Wissal Dabbagh, who explained the impact of good nutrition on the behavior of autistic children and capacity to develop their brain.

The campaign also included a seminar to raise awareness about autism conducted by Dr. Magdi Al Hulaik, neurologist pediatric at Al Wasl hospital, who focused on the definition of autism and its impact on the life of children.

"This awareness campaign aimed at increasing public awareness about autism and the need for early intervention and fostering best practices to deal with children with autism. One of the campaign's main objectives was to highlight the importance of the family's role in the child's development and early intervention to prevent further behavioral problems in the future," said Dr. Bushra Al Mulla Director of DECDC.

"These initiatives are in line with our social responsibility towards the UAE community and our commitment to help and support families of children affected by autism," she added.

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Community Development Authority (CDA):
The CDA is a government entity mandated with enhancing the social development in Dubai to achieve the Dubai strategic plan 2015 which was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on February 2007.

The CDA will work towards promoting and raising the social standards in Dubai, and increasing the role of citizens in the community by cooperating with concerned entities in order to achieve the goals of the development sector and to develop the basic structure necessary for this.

The CDA will work on setting up the necessary policies and standards pertaining to social services providers based on its five strategic goals including promotion of national identity, social protection, social inclusion, social empowerment, and social cohesion in Dubai.  

© Press Release 2011