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Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Qatar: a national epidemiological survey
Joint Event on 5th International Conference on Brain Disorders and Therapeutics & Mental Health and Psychology
November 05-06, 2018 | Edinburgh, Scotland
Fouad Alshaban, Fombonne, E Aldosari, M Tolefat, M Elmubarek, S Al Shammari, H and Ghazal I
Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar
Scientific Tracks Abstracts : J Brain Neurol
Abstract:
Background: There are few epidemiological data on autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) in Arabic countries. In response to
heightened public awareness and concerns about ASDs, we
planned and conducted the first epidemiological survey of
autism in Qatar.
Objectives: To generate a first estimate of the prevalence of ASD
among children age 5 to 12 in Qatar, using a whole populationbased
approach.
Methods: We surveyed the population of children age 5 to
12 (N=146,745) residing in Qatar in 2015. Both Qatari citizens
and children of immigrant families were included. Case
ascertainment relied on two complementary approaches.
First, eligible children attending one of 4 medical centers and
of 4 special schools (private or public) providing diagnostic
and treatment services for children with ASD were screened
(Qatar Clinical an Centers (QCC)). Records of eligible children
were abstracted and supplemented by parental interviews.
Second, we performed a two-stage survey of children attending
93 regular schools (Qatar School Survey (QSS); N=62,011) with
previously locally validated version of the Social Communication
Questionnaire (SCQ). Of 9,074 participants, 8.5% (N=773) were
screened positive and 91.5% (N=8,301) were negative. In the
diagnostic confirmation phase, 165 screen positive children
were evaluated and 14 screen positive (9.7%) and confirmed
to have ASD; additionally, we evaluated 800 screen negative
children of whom 3 (0.37%) were confirmed to have ASD.
We used a combination of methods including developmental
interviews, informant reports, record reviews and observations
guided by the ADI-R and the ADOS-G, cognitive testing, and
behavioral assessments in order to determine case status.
Results & Conclusions: This survey provides a first estimate
for the national ASD prevalence in Qatar that is consistent
with most recent International studies. The instruments
and methods employed in this study should help designing
comparable surveys in the region. Based on our survey, we
estimate that 2,200 children age 5-12 have a form of ASD in
Qatar. This estimate should inform the planification of health
and educational services in Qatar for a population that is
growing fast
Biography:
Fouad Alshaban is a senior scientist at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute Neurological Disorder Research Center. Graduated from Baghdad College of Medicine, and became involved in the field of preventive medicine. He acquired his Ph.D. in preventive medicine from the United Kingdom. He held many different positions as a scientist working in academic research and as Associate professor in Occupational Medicine and Public Health. Prior to joining the Shafallah Medical Genetics Center in 2009, and the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, he was Research Program Manager & Senior Research Coordinator at the Washington Hospital Center in association with Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Dr. Alshaban’s research interest lies in the epidemiology of genetic diseases, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is involved in two research projects funded by Qatar National Research Fund in collaboration with the University College of London, UK, were he investigates the genomics, anthropology and social impact of genetic knowledge in Qatar. Furthermore, he studies the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Qatar in collaboration with the Oregon Health & Science University and the Cleveland Clinic.
E-mail: falshaban@hbku.edu.qa
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