UAE-funded autism center inaugurated in Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil on Wednesday embraced a treatment center for people with autism, funded by the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent with the state-of-art equipment and comprehensive services, according to the Gulf state’s consulate in the Kurdistan Region.

The Emirati Center for Autism was opened in the presence of officials from the Kurdistan Region’s ministries of health and social affairs as well as UAE diplomatic and humanitarian officials.

The 2,500-square meter center will provide critical support and coping mechanisms to people diagnosed with autism, who often interact and communicate differently in social settings to people with neurotypical behaviors, and may be uncomfortable with loud sounds and crowds.

The center, run by Kurdish professionals and trained medical staff, includes entertainment activities, including music, art, and a play area.

The site is the first of its kind built by a humanitarian organization with such a large capacity, Soran Khalaf, head of Communications and Media at the Barzani Charity Foundation, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

Around 3,000 people in the Kurdistan Region are diagnosed with autism, according to the Kurdish volunteer organization Hope Autism Society. 

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly