Dubai: Al Jalila Foundation has announced the launch of its first programme, Ta’alouf, to tackle children’s developmental disorders that include conditions that may impair a child’s physical, behavioural, learning or language skills.
The strategic partners of Ta’alouf, which means ‘harmony’, in Arabic, include the Ministry of Education, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
“Developmental disorders should not only be approached from a medical perspective. There are also academic challenges in integrating students with special needs into the mainstream education system as well as potential economic benefits if students with special needs are empowered to contribute to national prosperity. These complexities have driven us to bring together strategic partners with medical, academic, scientific and community outreach expertise, in order to alleviate the imbalances faced by children with developmental disorders,” said Raja Eisa Al Gurg, member of the board of trustees and chairperson of the board of directors of Al Jalila Foundation.
While studies are ongoing to determine the exact prevalence rate of developmental disorders in the UAE, in other advanced countries like the US the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that as many as one in every six children could have one or more developmental disorders or developmental delays of varying severity. Even the most conservative estimates that put the worldwide prevalence rate at 1 in 1,000 children would still translate to over 8,200 cases in the UAE.
More studies are required to reveal why the prevalence rate is significantly higher among boys than girls. The information gap is further complicated by the fact that thousands of cases remain undiagnosed in the UAE due to inadequate awareness, prompting the Foundation to make early detection and public awareness part of the building blocks of its programme.
