More awareness sought in fight against autism

The number of children being diagnosed with autism is rising in the region, and mental health experts yesterday called for more awareness about the disease among both residents and health-care professionals. Experts also told Gulf News on the sidelines of the recent Paediatric Neurology Conference in the capital that there is still a distinct shortage of centres for the therapy, treatment and education of children diagnosed with the condition. "In the UAE, we see a lot of children with autism, and with such a disease, the outcome is always better if care is given as early as possible," Dr Waseem Fathallah, paediatric neurologist and consultant at Mafraq Hospital told Gulf News. "However, there are not enough centres to provide care for all the children suffering from the condition, and the existing ones all have long waiting lines, thereby delaying treatment and therapy for many children," he added.