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RIYADH – The determination of a Saudi teenager to be a paleontologist shows that even children with autism are capable of achieving amazing things if their mind is set on it.
Fares al-Shaikh, who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of three, has developed an interest and love for dinosaurs. He can talk about more than 600 species of the now-extinct prehistoric reptiles, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of paleontology — from the evolution of dinosaurs and their habits and behaviors, to the ages in which they lived and the locations where they were discovered.
The 13-year-old told Arab News: “I like reptiles and I have a vast collection of dinosaur models, including modern reptiles like snakes, lizards, and alligators as well as extinct reptiles such dinosaurs like torosaurus.”
He became more interested in anatomy as he compared the modern forms of animals to their dinosaur ancestors. He even imagined how they would look in the near future. He began to form his own theories and searched for information to support or prove them.
Fares’s father, Ahmed Al-Shaikh, told Arab News: “We noticed that Fares loves animals so we tried to buy him all the pets that we could, and we took him to pet stores whenever we (could) but with time, we noticed that he loves reptiles.”
Fares is also proficient in the Japanese art called Origami. He is quick at it and likes to create dinosaur models using paper and clay.
Fares is fluent in English but wasn’t always the most talkative child. When he turned three, his parents thought he had a speech problem. But when autism was diagnosed, they didn’t know what to do.
He father explained: “We took him to several pediatric specialists, and they conducted clinical examinations. The doctors confirmed that his organs were safe and that he had no problems with his speech, vision, or hearing. However, there was an issue with the speech.
“After consulting, a speech therapist informed us that he has autism, and stated that we should accept the fact that our son will grow up, but his mind will remain like the mind of (a child).”
Fares began speaking at age four, after a struggle to teach him how to speak and become verbal. He was able to speak more English because of the shows that he watches on his iPad. His family decided to use English when possible, but still use Arabic when needed.
Ses family members noticed his keen visual perception, and did their best to feed his interest in dinosaurs with books, models and videos. Each time he saw a different type or species dinosaur, he sought out more information.
“We supported him in what he loved, no matter what it cost us. Even if it was not his interest in the future, we will continue to support him,” his father added.
Fares hopes to be a paleontologist in Saudi Arabia and to discover dinosaur fossils. He even wants to open a museum dedicated to them.
He received awards for his achievements from several bodies in the Eastern Region, including the Sheikh Mohammed Al-Jabr Institute for Autism as well as the Saudi Association for Special Education.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Fares won the Academic Center for Consultation and Institutional Development’s Community Prevention Ambassador Award in Sharjah for his awareness video, titled “Implementation of the Dinosaur Park,” which he shared on social media and with friends and family.
In his project, Fares created a lego city depicting dinosaurs and humans, and commented on the importance of following guidelines and staying at home to practice our hobbies or learn new things in order to preserve the community’s safety during the pandemic — so that we do not become extinct like dinosaurs.
Speaking about his son’s social media accounts, Ahmed said: “The purpose of Fares’s social media presence is to give parents of autistic children hope that their children can adapt and become valuable members of society and that there are actual cases of autistic children who have destroyed the idea that they are powerless.”