Greetings from Jenin!

Today concludes my third day in Jenin and already there are many exciting updates to share about the project!

Yesterday I met with the governor of Jenin and he endorsed the project. He also gave approval for us to hold autism education programs in the schools, for adults in the community and at local universities. When we spoke about autism, he asked whether autism is caused by TV and computers. There is definitely a lack of autism awareness in the community but families of children with autism and community members alike seem eager to learn.

This morning we held an informational session for mothers in Jenin who are interested in participating in the program. Everyone at the meeting filled out a survey about their child’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their own comfort with their child’s diagnosis. These surveys will allow our team to design an ABA curriculum that focuses on the needs and goals of the families in the community.

At the end of the meeting, parents had many questions. One of the first questions that a woman asked was whether her child would ever “be normal.” Unlike my previous experience working on this project in the West Bank though (those of you who have been following this project from the beginning know what I am talking about), the mothers who came to the meeting today, although devastated by the diagnosis of their child seem to have accepted the diagnosis and are at a stage where they are looking to help their children succeed in every way possible.

Other questions that were asked were about the benefit of gluten-free casein-free diets, how to help a child with autism who is struggling with sleeping, how long therapy should be continued and whether Ritalin is an appropriate drug for autism as it is commonly prescribed to children with autism here. Our team will address these questions on a case by case basis, but if you are an autism professional reading this blog and have any suggestions about these topics, please feel free to comment below with your advice!