The Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector at the Faculty of Graduate Studies for Childhood at Ain Shams University organized an awareness symposium for parents of children who frequent the Center for the Care of Children with Special Needs, entitled "Proper family psychological interaction with children with special needs", under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Hesham Tamraz, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr.. Howayda El-Gebali, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for Childhood, organized and supervised by Prof. Dr. Randa Kamal Abdel Raouf, Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development, in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahki, director of the Center for the Care of Children with Special Needs.

Prof. Dr. Howayda El-Gebali, Dean of the Faculty, inaugurated the events. During her speech, she stressed the keenness of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for Childhood and the Center for People with Special Needs at Ain Shams University to provide the best service to society, especially to parents of children with special needs, noting that services will continue in all their forms during the holy month of Ramadan this year, taking Precautions and precautionary measures to prevent corona virus in order to ensure the safety of children and their families, and called on parents to communicate continuously with the Faculty administration, which contains a large and diverse constellation of all disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Randa Kamal, Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development at the Faculty, clarified during her speech that the activities are to educate parents, as the Faculty spares no effort to provide support to them, and praised the continuous support provided by Prof. Dr. Howayda El-Gebali, Dean of the Faculty for the Center for People with Special Needs, organizes open educational events for the parents of these children.

The Vice Dean of the Faculty also indicated that the Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector at the Faculty is working to raise awareness of the families of children with special needs by holding educational seminars and awareness campaigns. For children with special needs, at the hands of specialists from the Faculty and the center.

Prof. Dr. Gamal Shafik, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Child Psychological Studies, Faculty, and Coordinator of the Symposium, Prof. Dr. Hoda Gamal, Head of the Department of Psychological Studies of Children at the Faculty.

Prof. Dr. Gamal Shafik, Professor of Clinical Psychology, presented the World Health Organization's definition of children with special needs, who are people who cannot live the same lifestyle as their peers at the same age. Children with cancer, blood diseases, dwarfism, autism, kidney failure, learning difficulties, mental weakness, and oral and dental diseases fall under this category.

He discussed the problems of people with special needs and the role of the family in achieving psychological and social care for these children, and presented the prevalence rates of children with special needs and their general characteristics.

He explained the recent trends in caring for children with special needs and stressed the need for the family’s participation and cooperation in the success of any counseling, therapeutic or behavioral programs directed at children with special needs, and the role of the family in the proper psychological dealing with children with special needs and achieving psychological capacity for them and how the family can contribute In developing and achieving aspects of mental health for children with special needs.

He pointed out that the family should accept children with special needs and strengthen feelings of self-confidence, self-acceptance, a sense of identity, and the strength of ego and personality.

With the need to bring the child to an acceptable level of his body image and convey emotional discipline and behavior control to them, in addition to teaching them independence, social and behavioral skills.

Prof. Dr. Huda Gamal, Head of the Psychology Department, had an open dialogue with the children’s parents, noting that God had granted them a great blessing to elevate their standing with God.