Wafa is funded by Saudi Ministry of Higher Education: King Abdullah Scholarship program. She has 15+ years of experience in working with children with special needs. Her work over the past years has focused on individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families.
She has managed Educational Departments for various schools dealing with children with Special Needs, conducting psychological assessments, participating in Individualized Education Plans (IEP) development and meetings, and providing training to parents and professionals. She has consulted for the Saudi Ministry of Social Affairs, the Saudi Ministry of Education, and the Saudi National Autistic Society.
She took a lead role in developing the curriculum for a BA degree in Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder at Dar Al Hekma University, Saudi Arabia. She has also designed a two-year training program for professionals and paraprofessionals working within the field of ASD for the Saudi Ministry of Social Affairs, graduating 200+ individuals, and participated in overlooking the program’s implementation. She is the recipient of the Saudi National Autistic Society prize for significant contributions to the advancement of the field of ASD in Saudi Arabia, 2010.
Wafa has authored three 400+page textbooks on autism in Arabic, which are currently used as required texts in universities and other training programs in Saudi Arabia, as well as other countries in the Middle East. Prior to joining the laboratory, Wafa was a Lecturer at Dar Al Hekma University, Saudi Arabia, teaching courses in Psychology and Special Education and doing consultation work in various cities in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
She has received clinical training in assessment in both the USA and London, UK, including experience working on the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) study at the Institute of Education, London, from 2011 to 2012.