UAE: How 117 special needs children are living a normal life at Dubai Autism Centre

UAE: How 117 special needs children are living a normal life at Dubai Autism Centre

Learning about autism is key to creating a more equal social world, experts say

Published: Sat 2 Apr 2022, 11:40 AM

As the world marks World Autism Awareness Day today, Khaleej Times visited Dubai Autism Centre to document a typical day in the life of a child of determination.

In the four-storey facility, 117 students, aged between two and 21 years old, are living a normal life. They are watching movies in a cinema, getting a haircut, making their beds, reading in a library and getting their pictures taken in a photography room – leisure activities they find difficulties doing in public.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, visited the centre in March. In a tweet, he had said: "Dubai places the highest priority on integrating people of determination into society and providing them world-class services."

Dr Nicholas Orland, chief programme officer at Dubai Autism Centre, said this real-world environment strengthens their social behaviours for the outside world and helps them lead independent lives.

“We have children coming to the centre who are not yet able to speak, make friends or prepare their own food. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students are provided