The Department of Translation at the College of Arts at the University of Basrah organized a panel discussion entitled The Spectrum of Autism

 The panel discussion, in which Assistant Lecturer Amani Nouri (a specialist in speech and language disorders in children) lectured, aims to introduce the community to the autism spectrum, as it is known as a mental-developmental disorder that particularly affects children communication abilities, as well as behavior and interaction with the environment.  The world in general, and Iraq in particular, has witnessed a huge increase in the autism spectrum disorders in the last ten years, so it has become very necessary to familiarize mothers with the early signs of this disorder during the first two years of a child’s life, in addition to knowing the basic stages of the child’s development in order to follow up on his communicative and cognitive performance early and to be aware of any deviation of the normal course and start appropriate treatment early.

These signs include delay in pronouncing words and using signs, not responding when called by his name (which leads parents to think that he is not hearing), poor cognitive skills, hyperactivity (and sometimes a desire to isolate), avoiding physical contact and eye contact with others, hypersensitivity to sounds, light, touch, and other external influences.