National Autism Center Staff Share Expertise at Launching the National Training Program for ASD Conference in Muscat, Oman

Four of our staff are in the Middle East this week, guests of the government of Oman and the U.S. Embassy Muscat? in the capital city. Dr. Ralph Sperry, Dr. Cynthia Anderson, Dr. Ryan Martin, and Behavioral Consultant Wafa Aljohani are facilitating a three-day workshop organized by the Ministry of Health. They are training psychiatrists and psychologists from the Sultanate on using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) tool. 

“The workshop is organized with the purpose of developing psychiatrists’ skills in using diagnostic tools for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and working on enhancing mental healthcare services for children and adults,” said Dr Said bin Harib al Lamki, Director-General of Primary Health Care. The 2015 statistics indicate more than 1,200 diagnosed cases in two major hospitals. Although these figures are estimated because of unavailability of a national record, it is expected that the cases will be increasing by time.