Private autism experts may join public system

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Families of children with autism could gain faster access to specialist care under a proposal to bring experienced Bahraini experts from private centres into government-run services.

The plan, put forward by MP Maryam Al Dhaen, calls for the Social Development Ministry to contract Bahraini specialists already working in private autism centres to provide their services at the ministry's Comprehensive Disability Complex.

The idea is to create a one-stop centre where people with autism registered with the ministry can receive care, education and behavioural support without families having to move between different providers.

According to the proposal, private autism centres in Bahrain have built up highly trained Bahraini teams with years of hands-on experience in the field. Bringing this expertise into the public sector, it says, would help strengthen services and improve the quality of support available through government facilities.

The move could also ease the financial pressure on families who struggle to afford private treatment while reducing waiting times for services at the Comprehensive Disability Complex.

Ms Al Dhaen said support offered through the complex should go beyond care alone and include education programmes delivered under the supervision of the Education Ministry and in line with Bahrain's approved curriculum.

The proposal stresses the importance of early intervention for autism, warning that delays in specialist support can affect development and make inclusion more difficult later in life.

With demand for public services continuing to rise and waiting lists growing, the proposal argues that drawing on Bahraini expertise already available in the private sector could provide quicker access to support while strengthening services within the public system.