HRH Princess Sabeeka deputises HH Shaikha Nayla to attend 5th conference on autism

Manama, Apr. 3 (BNA): Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), has deputised HH Shaikha Nayla bint Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Al-Mabarrah Al-Khalifia Foundation (MKF) and Chairperson of the Royal Life Saving Bahrain (RLSB), to attend the Fifth International Conference on Autism. Held under the auspices of HRH Princess Sabeeka, the conference is organised by the Bahrain Society for Children with Behavioural and Communication Difficulties. HH Shaikha Nayla extended sincere thanks to HRH Princess Sabeeka for patronising the conference, held in conjunction with the celebrations of the World Autism Awareness Day, marked worldwide on April 2 every year, noting that the kind gesture confirms the Wife of HM the King’s interest in ensuring the success of eth conference and achieving its goals. She said that the International Conference on Autism provides a suitable platform for autism professionals, workers and parents of autistic children to meet local and international experts and get updated about the latest scientific developments and research related to autism. Board member of the Bahrain Society for Children with Behavioural and Communication Difficulties, Sumaya Hussain, in her speech, highlighted the Society’s establishment, goals and the work programmes of the Early Intervention Centres. 10 speakers from Bahrain and abroad, specialists from the Ministry of Education, the University of Bahrain and the Bahrain Polytechnic, families of children with autism, teachers, researchers, service providers and sponsors took part in the conference. On the sidelines of the conference, an exhibition for autism service providers was held. The expo was organised by the Deputy Chairperson of the Bahrain Society for Children with Behavioural and Communication Difficulties, Shaikha Rania bint Ali Al Khalifa. A "Talent Expo" was also held on the sidelines of the international conference to shed light on the capabilities of autistic children, including students Hussain Hajji who exhibited more than 30 paintings, and students Abdulla Noor Al-Rayyes, who showcased about 40 paintings.