This seminar explores Oman's autism care initiatives. The first segment of the seminar will discuss Oman's National Autism Screening Program, launched in 2017. The program facilitated the screening of children at 18 months for autism and developmental disorders at primary healthcare centers. Despite obstacles, the program has diagnosed 624 cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with 36% identified before the age of 3, which enabled early intervention. This segment will track the program's progression and expansion, along with its impact on early detection and intervention at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

The subsequent part of the seminar will focus on genetics. It will investigate the intriguing correlation between advanced paternal age and ASD, with a particular emphasis on populations with high rates of consanguineous marriages. Recent studies in Oman have unveiled a heightened genetic diagnosis yield in children with autism, challenging conventional paradigms and highlighting the significance of population-specific factors.

Speakers