One Mother Creates Opportunity for Autistic Children in Iraq

Autistic children in Germany participate in programs not available to their Iraqi peers.

Autistic children in Iraq have little in the way of help from the government or education system. Luckily, one woman has stepped forward to help fill this gap. Eleven years ago, Nibras Sadoun adopted a young autistic child who had been rejected by his birth mother. After finding no existing programs that would educate her child, Sadoun started her own school to meet her son’s needs. Named after her son, the Al Rahman Institute boasts six centers throughout the country, providing much-needed assistance. The program operates without government support and remains the only existing resource for autistic children and their families.

At Al Rahman, children are given the help they need to improve communication skills, behavior, and speech. For many students, this has meant being able to speak and engage socially for the first time. Although participating children have achieved outstanding results, the centers are unable to address the problem facing Iraq’s autistic population in full. Hundreds of autistic children remain on the waiting list as the centers’ limited funds and lack of qualified healthcare professionals prevent them from reaching more than a few dozen children.