Dr. Azi Berzengi is a highly experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Having earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD) from the University of East Anglia, UK, in 2015, Dr. Azi Berzengi strives to help his patients revive true vitality and foster optimum mental health. Prior to completing his Doctorate, Dr. Azi Berzengi attained a first-class honours degree in Psychology with Clinical Psychology at the University of Lincoln, UK, in 2010.

Dr. Azi is the co-founder of AlmaCare in New Cairo and currently serving as the Director of Psychological Services. Dr. Azi brings over 10 years of experience in both clinical and academic settings. In addition to therapy, he offers comprehensive psychological assessments, including neurodevelopmental evaluations (ADHD, ASD), educational assessments, and diagnostic clarification for complex mental health presentations.

Zebeida Lamloum is the wonderful mother of twins Rawya and Nayla. Nayla was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was a young child. Zebeida talks us through her experience and journey raising a child with developmental needs. 

In today's special episode, BCBAs Menna Mahrous, Mariam Azzazi, and Aya El Ganzouri discuss a range of topics related to autism in today's society. They explain what autism is, why diagnosis is on the rise, misconceptions, and the challenges that children with autism can face in academic and social settings. 

Dr. Madonna Yanni is a double board-certified Consultant Psychiatrist and a member of the Royal collage of psychiatrists, UK, Specializing in neurodiversity in adults and maternal mental health. 

She’s the Co-Founder and Director of Psychiatry Services at AlmaCare Clinic in Cairo, and a passionate advocate for holistic, culturally sensitive mental health care. Dr. Yanni also teaches at Sharjah and Mohamed Bin Rashid Universities and has led award-winning research in psychiatry.

Sherry is the Head of Learning at Dystinct Learners. With a Master’s degree in Psychology from the USW - UK, a Dyslexia Specialist status with the BDA - UK, and certification as a Positive Discipline Parent Educator, Sherry brings over 9 years of experience in the field of education, specializing in multi-sensory and holistic approaches to special education for 7+ years. Through her work as an educational therapist, Sherry conducts initial assessments and screenings in order to integrate their results in developing a wide range of applicable strategies for teaching. Sherry integrates a child-led, multi-sensory, and holistic approach to educational therapy that focuses on supporting the students' social, emotional, and academic development.

Mariam is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the American University in Cairo and her Master's degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. After some time, she was awarded her BCBA certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board after studying Applied Behavior Analysis through the Florida Institute of Technology. She then started working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with children on the Autism Spectrum and other developmental disabilities. 

Nardeen Massoud is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and is the founder and clinical director of ACE Behavior Center, providing services to children and adolescents from 2-18 years.

Nardeen studied abroad and received her Master’s in applied behavior analysis (ABA) from the University of Kent in the UK. Nardeen has previously worked in both Egypt and Dubai, leading and developing an autism school with over 100 autistic students. Nardeen has experience from teaching foundational communication and self-help skills all the way to more advanced academic and vocational skills. Nardeen believes parent training and collaboration is the key to success and is especially passionate about fostering independence in children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Gregory Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for 35 years. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Div. 25) and has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and various book chapters primarily focused on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of problem behavior and sleep problems, teaching strategies for developing life skills, and empirically-derived values for practitioners. Dr. Hanley currently advises doctoral candidates as a Research Professor at WNEU and leads FTF Behavioral, the international training and consulting group based in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Dr. Sally Farouk works in various NGOs across Assiut and has significant experience in the special education sector. She takes us through who exactly qualifies for special education in Egypt, what the process for application entails, and the qualifications for special education teachers in Egypt. 

Nour Howaidak graduated from the University of Wales with an Honors Degree. Nour is holding a masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Nour started off her career with children as a Nursery Teacher and was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis 6 years ago. Nour has been applying ABA with children with developmental delays and learning disabilities. she has worked extensively with children diagnosed with Autism. She also has experience with training new staff on ABA and Verbal Behaviour.Nour is also the program manager.