Media Release
Doha, Nov 14: The Step by Step Centre, a sister concern of Flounge, Mangalore for Special Needs, in collaboration with Awsaj Academy organized a workshop recently entitled ‘Working Through Autism’ and offering intensive training for parents, teachers and other caregivers on working with children with autism, using the strategies of applied behavior analysis.
The workshop was facilitated by Dr Adrienne Robek, a psychologist and behavior analyst who has authored a book entitled My Child has Autism: A handbook for Parents and Professionals.
About the aims of the workshop, Dr Robek commented that “the objective here is to give caretakers, teachers and parents the tools they need to work with kids on the autism spectrum, so my aim is to teach parents some simple tips and approaches to use with their children to help them.”
Robek underlined the pressing need for such training, given the dearth of special programs for children with autism in the country. She said “there are so few services in Doha, and there’s a long waiting list to get into them.”;
Sherri Yan, a parent of a 6-year old child who goes to attends the Step by Step Centre, thought that the workshop was much needed, adding that “helping children in need should not end at school, or with a therapist. Rather, it is very important that the family play a role in helping the children. In fact, the most important role is that of the parents, because not until the parents have accepted their child for who they are, I don’t think much progress will be achieved.”
The Step by Step Centre is a private special school offering individualized educational programs for students with various learning challenges, and additional individual therapy sessions in the afternoon. These programs aim to develop each student’s skills in academic learning, independent living, and communication skills.
Step by Step Centre was established by its founder and managing director, Nasreen Shabbir Sharif, in 2011, to address the scarcity of suitable educational institutions to cater to the educational needs of special needs children in Qatar. Today Step by Step Centre for Special Needs is a leading institution in Qatar and has emerged as the most sought after Centre for parents with special needs children in Qatar.
This has been possible due to the relentless efforts, dedication and leadership of the principal of Step by Step Centre, M/s Olcay Bilge Connor, who has been assosciated with SBS since its inception, and has shared the passion, of making a difference to the lives of Special Needs Children, with the founder and managing director.
Awsaj Academy, a member of the Qatar Foundation, is a K-12 specialized school which addresses the needs of students with learning challenges, an outreach centre that provides evaluation and professional development services to the community. It is a Center for education, research and development which conducts and promotes educational research and reform initiatives that benefit all students, including those with academic challenges.