1139 beneficiaries of the “free comprehensive evaluation” in “Dubai Autism”

The Dubai Autism Center confirmed to «Emirates Today» that the number of cases benefiting from the initiative of “free comprehensive evaluation” exceeded 1139 cases since the start of the initiative, under the direction of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, in April 2023.

The initiative aims to provide comprehensive diagnostic evaluation services for children suspected of having an autism spectrum of state citizens, as part of the center’s efforts aimed at early intervention and support for families in making the appropriate decision on the treatment and educational tracks.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Autism Center, Hisham Abdullah Al -Qasim, stressed that the initiative contributed within three years to enhance the awareness of citizenship families of the importance of early detection of autism, which enabled many children to obtain accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention at the appropriate time.

Al -Qasim said: «The launch of the initiative had a great impact on providing a reliable and accredited reference within the state for citizenship families, who are looking for a specialized diagnosis for their children suspected of autism.”

For his part, the Director General of the Dubai Autism Center and a member of its board of directors, Mohamed Al -Emadi, stated that the initiative allowed the center to reach a broader segment of citizens in the various emirates of the state, and to provide a comprehensive evaluation that covers the psychological, linguistic, behavioral and functional aspects, which helped design accurate intervention plans based on the needs of each case, indicating that the number of cases benefiting from the initiative exceeds 1139 cases.

Al -Emadi added that since 2022, free consultations were held for 841 children, including 495 Emiratis, and sessions were conducted for a comprehensive evaluation of 298 Emirati children who benefited from them for free. He explained that the recent evaluation and diagnostic operations resulted in the recommendation of 162 children, (including 34 Emirati children) to undergo services for applied behavior analysis, and the recommendation of 109 children (28 of them is Emirati) to undergo speech and speech therapy sessions, and the recommendation of 109 children (including 25 Emirati children) to undergo job treatment sessions.

Parents of the beneficiaries of the “Free Rating” initiative at the center confirmed that it is a turning point in the lives of their autistic children, as their obtaining an accurate and clear diagnosis contributed to the improved cases significantly.

Sultan Al -Muhairi said that the initiative was the first building block towards understanding the condition of his son “Rashid” and taking the necessary steps to support him in the best way, praising the efforts of the Dubai Autism Center, which he described as high quality and professional in dealing with autistic children, in addition to the speed of the team’s response, which reflects the extent of the center’s keenness to improve children.

Nouf Abdullah, the mother of the child Hamid Al -Shuwaihi, stated that the comprehensive evaluation initiative helped her reach an accurate diagnosis of her child’s condition, without delay or confusion, and helped to start the treatment of treatment with knowledge and confidence, instead of confusion, stressing that the mothers of autistic children need a reliable and comprehensive direction.

Shamsa Saif, the mother of the child, Rashid Al -Musafri, stressed the need to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of autistic children, because it enhances the awareness of parents about accepting the status of their children.

She pointed out that the quality of the services provided by “Dubai Autism” encouraged her to re -evaluate every year to follow up the case of her son Rashid, and to understand the appropriate support for his condition year after year.

Saeed Al -Suwaidi said that his son Ali was diagnosed with a slightly autism spectrum disorder four years ago at the Dubai Autism Center, where he was suffering from hearing treatment. After the diagnosis, therapeutic and rehabilitation classes were intensified, which contributed to achieving a noticeable improvement in its condition.

Despite the difficult challenges, Al -Suwaidi stressed that his son is improving day by day. He praised the speedy response of the concerned authorities and their keenness to listen to the observations of the people, appreciating the efforts of the Community Development Authority and the great support provided by the rational leadership of people with determination, especially the category of autism disorder.