01-04-2021

On 2 April, the Kingdom of Bahrain joined the international community in commemorating the UN-recognized World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in 2008. This year’s theme, “Children with Autism: Children of Excellence and Genius,” presents an opportunity to reaffirm Bahrain’s commitment as an active partner in formulating and implementing initiatives and programmes to raise autism awareness. Community partnerships and national strategies drive these efforts to enable society to respond to the needs of this group of children and facilitate their integration into all aspects of life. On this occasion, His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, stated that, in line with the Government of Bahrain’s broader objectives, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development continues to enhance and expand diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitation services for this group. This includes the services that will be offered by the Rehabilitation Centre for People with Autism at the Comprehensive Disability Complex, which, upon its opening, is expected to deliver high-quality support to approximately 100 beneficiaries. Currently, 891 individuals with autism benefit from services provided by the Ministry. Humaidan underscored the Ministry’s commitment to supporting national efforts to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorder and elevate the quality of rehabilitation and educational services across 12 private Centres catering to People of Determination. The Ministry also covers the annual rehabilitation costs for eligible beneficiaries attending these Centres, including six institutions specialising in autism support: Alia Centre for Early Intervention, Tafaol Centre for Special Education, Al-Wafa Centre for Autism, Al-Rashad Centre for Autism, Al-Amal Centre for Early Care and Al-Amal Institute for Special Education. He also noted that the Ministry has licensed 25 private Centres focused on services for People of Determination with autism. In accordance with the directives of the Coordination Committee and based on recommendations submitted by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19), a decision was issued to resume individual rehabilitation sessions and programmes at both public and private rehabilitation Centres as of June 2020. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development has since conducted continuous and comprehensive supervisory visits to all Centres operating in the field of disability, to ensure their adherence to precautionary protocols and regulatory requirements. These inspections have been carried out in coordination with the “Volunteer for Bahrain” team—trained in monitoring and inspection roles—and the Ministry’s supervisory staff members.