Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHO), a collaboration agreement was signed between ZHO and Lotus Holistic Group to launch the first peer-reviewed specialised scientific journal on autism research.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Abdulla Abdulalee Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of ZHO, and Amina Al Haidan, CEO of Lotus Holistic Group, in partnership with the Emirates Scholar Research Center for Studies and Research.
The collaboration to launch the first peer-reviewed journal on autism represented a significant scientific step towards advancing research in this field, within the framework of enhancing academic research in the UAE.
Titled The International Journal of Autism Challenges and Solutions, the journal will be the first Arabic-English periodical in the Arab world, disseminating the latest contributions from specialised researchers globally in the field of autism. It affirms the cultural leadership and remarkable progress of the UAE under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The initiative aligns with the nation's progressive role in various domains.
The first issue of the magazine will be launched on the sidelines of its eponymous event, Autism Challenges and Solutions, XII International Research and Practice Conference, to be hosted in Abu Dhabi from 27-30 April 2024.
The mutual objective of publishing the international, specialised journal on autism research is to fulfil the terms of cooperation between ZHO and Lotus Holistic Group. The goal is to provide the best therapeutic means and practices for individuals with autism, aiming to alleviate their challenges, empower them for societal integration, and raise public awareness. The journal sheds light on scientific responsibility, addressing the urgent need for a scholarly platform to tackle current challenges and disseminate research findings to practitioners in specialised centres.
His Excellency Abdulla Abdulalee Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of ZHO, welcomed the collaborative step to issue the scientific journal, considering it a positive development for the autism spectrum community. His Excellency said the journal is part of the strategic plan of ZHO focusing on early intervention and enhancing healthcare, aligning with the UAE's leadership in scientific advancements, particularly in sciences, health, space, and other fields.
Amina Al Haidan welcomed the agreement, and hoped the initiative marked the beginning of a new scientific era, contributing to the improvement of autism cases through the application of successful and tested scientific research to enhance their awareness and cognition in life.
Dr Abdulhamid Abdulhay, the head of the conference's media committee, and Dr. Afaf Al-Ansari, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, agreed that the issuance of the Autism Challenges and Solutions journal is an international research message aimed at achieving the goals of ZHO and Lotus Group. It is anticipated that through the publication, positive and successful solutions for various autism categories at national and global levels will be discovered.
