Raising Awareness around Autism

We are now counting down to Autism Acceptance Week. This year we will celebrate a range of activities in April. It is a time where we go even further to help people understand what Autism is and raise awareness in our communities. If you can join us or get involved, we would love to see and hear from you!

• Wednesday, 17 April: Beat the Heat Autism Run 2K & 5K at 5:30 p.m. TKS field, Garden Campus. Wear blue and bring your water.
  For more information and to register please visit this link: Beat the Heat Autism Run. This is part of the TKS Tidal Wave event where there will be plenty of fun activities to enjoy.
• Saturday, April 20: Family social event at the FCSC. 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  There will be a focus on Wellbeing and raising awareness around Autism.
• Sunday, April 21: The Beacon will be lit blue in support of Autism Acceptance Week.
• Tuesday, April 23: The Cinema in Discovery Square will be showing an Autism Friendly Screening of ‘A Boy Called Po’ – Discovery Theater 1 (4 p.m. )
• Wednesday, April 24: Parents Coffee Social at the FCSC. From 7 p.m. in room K115. A parent will be sharing their experiences around having a child with Autism and there will be a presentation on Animal Assisted Therapy.

Please scan the QR code below for access to additional resources and information about Autism.

FCSC weekend Family Social: April 20, 2024

We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Family Social event on Saturday, April 20, scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FCSC. There will be a focus on raising awareness around Autism and a focus on Wellbeing, leading into KAUST’s first Wellbeing week.

Join us for:

• A presentation from our Clinical Lead about the range of services we have for Autism.
• Advice and guidance on wellbeing activities as part of the wellbeing week in KAUST from April 20-27
• The Parent Committee advertising the Family Coffee Social.
• Children’s activities and giveaways.
• Just for fun – Let’s wear blue in support of Autism.

We look forward to spending a delightful and relaxing morning with you and your families.

Parents Coffee Social: April 24, 2024

The Parent Committee at the FCSC will host an evening on April 24 in celebration of Autism Acceptance Week.

There will be:

A presentation around Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) by Malavika

Animal Assisted Activities include education, interactions and therapy which can be a planned interaction between humans and animals who are trained for therapy, along with a trained handler.

The unconditional love provided by animals combined with the feelings of comfort and belonging that one feels with them are key therapeutic tools that help us address psychological well-being in a safe environment. This helps replace stressful situations with pleasurable ones, stabilize emotions, improve communication, self-regulation and socialization skills.

Multiple therapies or ABA – From the eyes of a Parent by Anusha

Being a special educator, with almost 9 years’ experience, it was a shock to me when my child was diagnosed with Autism. As parents we are most often blank in our mind on what is next?? Questions never cease to exist?? I will share my experience on what worked with my child and my family and how ABA helped and is still doing the magic. Do we as parents need to depend only on food-based reinforcements? Is ABA all about reinforcement learning? Join me as I share my story and experience as a mother, wife and a family member of a child who is nonverbal and autistic.

The parent coffee social will take place from 7 p.m. in room K115 at the Family and Child Support Center (FCSC).

This is a great time for parents to meet, share stories, ideas, experiences, find recommendations for therapy, and feel a sense of belonging in the community.

Contact us

For more information, visit the Family and Child Support Center webpage fcsc.kaust.edu.sa, or contact us at 012 8086413 or fcsc@kaust.edu.sa

Family and Child Support Center