April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day - Let the Flowers Bloom!

April 2nd has been designated for a yearly observance of World Autism Awareness Day. When the condition is solved, there will be a celebration instead of and observance. The first observance was held on 4/02/2009.

The United Nations General Assembly has gathered global efforts to promote a higher level of understanding and practice activities regarding autism. Yearly observances include a number of informative lectures and question and answer sessions, briefings, health screenings, musical events, video conferences, art exhibits and a number of other creative and informative offerings. The table of events is administered and facilitated by the UN family of partners.

In March 2009, a campaign for awareness about autism and for its ultimate defeat by medicine and determination was waged at The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs in observance of World Autism Awareness Day.

Autism is recognized at Shafallah and by the UN generally not only as a brain disorder manifesting in the first three years life, but also one that is becoming our planet's fastest-growing serious developmental disorder. One estimate is that 67,000,000 people suffer some form of autism along the Autism Spectrum Disorder continuum. On a global scale, the UN feels that it is more common in most nations than infant and childhood cancer, diabetes and AIDS all COMBINED. This is a catastrophic illness of worldwide proportions when taken in all of its forms and all of its degrees along the continuum of the disorder. World Autism Awareness Day helps us to understand that.

Autism interferes with the five senses. Generally, all of the autisms interfere with the affected individual’s capacity to understand what he or she sees, hears and touches.

One example of an autism diagnosis was that of our pastor's son, with Asperger's. He was not diagnosed until three years of age, when autism was more understood and attended that when he was born and when doctors became more aware that they should look for it. Growing awareness about autism helped his doctors, educational providers, extended family members, and friends.

The three-year-old child was reported to have an IQ of 140+, but also reported to be incapable of ever developing the capacities to have any sort of interaction with others, any relationships, or any language development. Medical opinion is that he should be institutionalized in a facility where he would have been treated just as those that have profound retardation/developmental delay.

However, through the use of additional awareness and knowledge, consistent attention to the boy by the entire extended family and the large church congregation, he improved. In April 2010, this young man graduates from high school with a 4.2 grade point average, accepted to several colleges and universities so that he has to choose the one he wishes to attend.

The last vestige of the syndrome he suffered as a child was the inability to perform an act that required him to use both hands at once when they crossed each other - like tying shoes. In March 2010 after years of patient practice mixed in with the rest of his active life, he conquered that task as well. He tied and untied his shoes all afternoon when he got home from school, sitting on the front steps at home, waiting to show Dad. Perhaps he'll take piano lessons now.

Dr. Hatem El Santi is the Director of the Shafallah Medical Genetic Center. He stated on March 24, 2009 to The Peninsula English language newspaper on Qatar,

“Many genetic mutations can cause the problem. Added to this, environmental factors also play a role in this. Interaction between various genes and the environmental factors complicates the study. All the researches are focused on finding a cure for the disability,”

Shafallah Center began the work toward a day for observing the awareness needed to combat and defeat autism spectrum disorders, and the UN picked up the cause officially at the end of 2007.

Shafallah is the Arabic name for the showy flower of the Caper plants, small shrubs native to the Mediterranean area. Children are our flowers. Site contains beautiful children's artwork.

It is our deep faith that God is compassionate and merciful, and mercy is what he bestows upon His subjects. He is generous and beautiful, and beauty is what he gives. That is how we should see the world, beautiful, with all its resources and contents, known to us or unknown.