(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Shafallah Center for Children with Special's first Autism and Applied Behaviour Analysis Conference, provided a platform for experts and practitioners in the field of behavioural analysis to share their experiences, research results, as well as best practices, which contribute to the development of the programmes and services provided for children living with autism in the region.

Shafallah welcomed delegates and professionals representing many educational institutions in the region. It brought in many experts in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), including Dr Mohammad Al Attrash, Director of Psychological Services and Family Support, Shafallah Center, and Thomas M Caffrey, Penn State University.

Shafallah's Executive Director Mohamed Badr Al Sada gave the opening speech in which he emphasised the commitment of Shafallah Center to seek the latest technology and best practices that will hopefully make a difference in the treatment of autism in Qatar.

Al Sada said: "At Shafallah, we always strive to provide the appropriate care and rehabilitation for children who live with autism, as well as develop our tools and programs that suits the environment surrounding those children here in Qatar. Last year, we developed a methodology to evaluate the behavior utilised by the specialists and practitioners in the center, which was adopted by the American Association for Behaviour Analysis, representing a major breakthrough in the rehabilitation of people with autism. It will be the first of its kind operating in the Arabic language. "

The first day of the conference included three lectures discussing the behaviors of autistic children and methods of treatment. Dr Mohammed A Attrash kicked off with a keynote lecture titled "Where we are now, and where do we go from there," introducing the concept of behavioral analysis to the audience, and the long history of changes and development this science has gone through to reach the form that we know today.

The second and final day of the conference was full with rich content, where Caffrey concluded his series of lectures with a final presentation titled "Building and Expand Limited Boosters and Interests. Dr Irshad Shaefallah, a psychiatrist at Shafallah, concluded the conference with a lecture on the role of psychiatry in the evaluation and treatment of people with autism.The Peninsula