One day, in January 2000, walking through a mall in
"It was like a bulb suddenly came on in my head. The symptoms could well have been defining my son Omar, who even as early as six months was not developing like his older brothers. There was a lack of speech, his eye contact - when he chose to communicate at all - was minimal, and his social interaction with the rest of the family severely limited," says Al Emadi.
"The worst part was that with awareness about the condition in the UAE being nearly non-existent, there was nowhere for families like ours to take our children for medical help."
It was at that moment, standing in the shopping mall in
More determined than ever to push the awareness of autism to a new level, he set about getting the attention of the authorities in
In November 2001, following an official decree by the His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, he opened a small facility at Umm Suqeim, catering for the needs of 16 children.
The Dubai Autism Centre has today emerged as an unmitigated success that defies its humble origins, and its present premises on
A team of 63 staff, including 30 special educators and 12 therapists, help the children and their parents to cope with the condition, and also provide children with the care and therapy they need.
A new purpose-built facility for the DAC, which will accommodate 150 children, will be finished shortly.
Last month the DAC helped raise awareness for autism with its promotion drive wherein many landmarks and well-known buildings across
Al Emadi says that every year the Centre highlights one aspect of autism. The first campaign in 2007 highlighted the incidence of autism and the alarming increase of this disorder. The second focused on the signs of autism and burst the myths surrounding this condition. The third and fourth campaigns considered the impact of autism on families.
This year, the campaign concentrated on the issue of the rising number of autism cases and the lack of specialised care centres.
Work
Autism (sometimes called classical autism) is the most common condition worldwide in a group of developmental disorders known as the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterised by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication, unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.
According to a new study, there has been a significant increase in autism cases in the world as compared to previous years. The study says that one out of every 110 newborns in the
Autism therefore is more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and paediatric Aids combined. An estimated1.5 million individuals in the
There is no established explanation for this increase. Studies also suggest that boys are more likely than girls to develop autism. Current estimates are that in the
This new reality makes me very sad. I know the depth of despair a parent can feel at not being able to help his child combat such a debilitating condition.
Shortly after I returned from my visit to
Finally the DAC was established and with a donation from the Dubai World Trade Centre of a two-bedroom apartment, we started registering cases among local and resident families and offering art therapies, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, family and child psychology, and so on.
We moved to our present premises in Al Satwa and have been humbled by the number of parents coming in to seek the DAC's intervention for their children. Right now, we are unable to accommodate any more and, also, we do not wish to become a money-making enterprise, where care and quality of attention might be compromised.
Our multicultural population in the UAE means we have to adapt the curriculum to suit the needs of each nationality, which is no mean task.
At the DAC, every class has four kids and two special educators. We have to give each child enough time for his rehabilitation.
We also offer outreach services like swimming, skiing, mall trips for the children, visits to
The cost for therapy for each child is Dh135,000 a year, and the child is here from 8am to 1.30pm.
The parents and family of a child with autism are placed under enormous stress and often need some time-out. If not for specialised centres like this one, mothers would need to quit work and take care of the children 24/7, which takes a toll on them financially, as they have to manage with just one income.
DAC works not just for autism but for special needs in general. One of our mandates is to participate in all the book fairs in the UAE and translate books on autism for Arabic and English readers. We secured permission from Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of Shaikh Mohammad, and planned to give certificates in her name to the people doing exceptional work. Thus was born the Princess Haya Award for Special Education in 2008, and we are now in our third instalment.
I think the most memorable experience of my professional life was being chosen by Shaikh Mohammad to run the campaign for Dubai Cares. I remember, the campaign was about to kick off in less than three weeks and its main objective was to donate funds for the education of 500,000 poor children around the world.
At the last minute, with his usual flair for the unexpected and his indubitable generosity, Shaikh Mohammad doubled the amount collected by the community to tally almost Dh200,000.
That was the first instalment of Dubai Cares, which funded the education of one million children worldwide. What's more, Shaikh Mohammad wanted his family to be involved too, which was a wonderful gesture, and simultaneously, for us organisers a logistical challenge. We now had to look into security and availability of each individual in organising the fund-raiser. The closing ceremony of the first Dubai Cares instalment was truly historic, in more ways than one.
Today I still work with Dubai Cares on the board of directors. It has been enriching to be surrounded by people willing to incubate more ideas, always ready to rise to the occasion, and make a dream come true - even if it is someone else's. Its human resources, I believe, are the greatest assets that
Working the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) gave me the chance to organise myself and my official work. I also enjoyed eventful stints at the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Land Department.
I guess I was lucky to work for the government, led by Shaikh Mohammad, who always asked us to work locally and think internationally. The Dubai Autism Centre is an example of this global thinking.
After the DED, I worked at the Executive Office for a while, helping to coordinate numerous projects in those early, heady days for Dubai, such as the Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Dubai Leadership Programme, Dubai Strategic Forum, training programmes, executing projects, executing events… it is astonishing how many things we managed to achieve in so short a time.
Play
I am easy-going and simple. I believe in destiny and that everything that happens is written; you can experience something only if it's meant for you.
I love my family and am happy when I feel they are secure and can maximise their potential due to that sense of security.
What enthuses me is the thought of being the source of hope for families who are anxious to see what can be done for their suffering children. Life to me is family and community. My family and me are more friends to each other than people who play out the roles of father, mother, son or daughter. We bring to the table common sense.
In our family, there is no ordering one another about; instead we try to use the ‘come let me convince you' approach.
Family time is precious to me. Saturdays are family days. My wife, four sons and daughter have a family lunch and catch up on what is happening in each other's lives.
Just like I am a manager - happy to serve my customers and employees - I am also a family head who doesn't like being bossy with them. I am always open to their complaints and issues and like to rework my way of functioning if I feel something is amiss.
My biggest strength is my ability to multitask. My greatest weakness is my stubbornness. Though I have tamed it with time, it rears its head once in a while.
I am now 43 years old and there are not too many regrets really, except perhaps about not being able to exercise much, although I do walk around a lot. I have a treadmill at home but would rather watch a movie if I have the time to sit down! I also read quite a lot, and enjoy books by Ian Fleming and Jeffery Deaver in English, and a whole genre of Arabic literature. History books are a passion with me as I love to understand the history, culture and people in the days of yore.
I don't have too much time for hobbies, but I love music, especially the background score of movies and the original soundtracks from films - Harry Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, to name a few. I am one of those people who will watch a movie because I love the music in it.
Dream
The biggest challenge in life for me personally, was my son Omar. Even today it is him. I was always wondering what facilities I could provide for him. I remember him as a child spending hours by himself on the swing in our front yard at home, listless, not able to communicate with his brothers or mother or me. Today he is 18 years old and had to leave DAC as there are no facilities here for those past that age. He is now back at home, on heavy medication, but he still has his traumas and needs. He still cannot relate to his brothers, especially the eldest one who is now 19. His younger brothers are 14, four years old and one. I am constantly on a quest to help him suffer less.
At DAC, we can help autistic children from three to 18 years of age only. Beyond that age we need more facilities to handle young adults.
Professionally, my next challenge is the completion of a new building granted by Shaikh Mohammad, following a Dh27 million grant given by him to the DAC. The new facility can accommodate at least 150 kids.
The government has done its part; now it is up to the community to fulfil the dream of reaching out and helping as many families of children with special needs as possible. If each company could come forward and provide the relevant service or product donation - air-conditioners, ceramic ware for toilets, WCs, doors, tables and chairs - it would be marvellous. If that happens, things will move quickly. The shell is now completed. With quick assistance, we can move forward rapidly to fill out the shell with the items required for the children.
I urge people in the community at large to be supportive and positive about DAC's work, and to contribute where they can through their organisation's CSR initiatives. I am against any corporate initiative that tries to utilise kids for fund-raising - it is distasteful to put the children on the stage and make them dance. They should be given their dignity. I urge individuals and organisations wanting to help to come and be with these children, and get involved on a personal level.
My idea of giving back to the community is a compulsory-sharing attitude. Without this understanding there is no community that can be self-sufficient.
My goal today on a professional level is to see the new facility for autism up and running and serve the community. On a personal level, it involves giving my children the highest education and opportunities they can aspire to.
