Dar Al Shifaa Hospital recently brought the community together at the Emirates Bowling Club in Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi with around 30 kids together with their families who participated in a fun-filled afternoon for cosplays and various activities as part of efforts to generate awareness about autism.
Dr. Rajeev Pillai, vice president for business development at Dar Al Shifaa group of hospitals, said the event was for both normal kids and kids with special needs to showcase their talent for the community to appreciate what they do: “It’s the responsibility of the community as a society to ensure that they (people with autism) have all support systems in place and enough motivation and support so that they can contribute better for the community.”
Lilac Schonberg, Dar Al Shifaa’s vice president for business affairs and communications, who headed the event, stressed the importance of treating young kids and kids with special needs as equals. “This (event) is about how kids with special needs can get along with normal kids. Kailangan pantay-pantay lang sila,” said Schonberg.
Dr. Pillai added that preliminary evaluation is very important for parents who suspect that their kid might have special needs. “The community needs to be aware of that so when they notice signs, they need to seek immediate, expert help. If it can be identified at a very early stage, this is entirely manageable,” he said.
Celebrating Autism Awareness Month, the event was sponsored by Qiwi Technologies in cooperation with Emirates Bowling and organized by White Lens Events Services. Activities held during the event include zumba dances, face painting, health checkups as well as a display of talent from kids who showed their skills in singing, dancing, and cosplaying their favorite characters.
