Dubai: The British Institute of Learning Disabilities (Bild) recently estimated that 1.2 million people, two per cent of England’s population, to have a learning disability. On the face of it, 2 per cent might seem like a small number. So let’s place that number in a proper perspective. Local media recently reported that the UAE’s population stands at 8.2 million as of last year, 30 per cent of which - 2.4 million - live in the capital, Abu Dhabi.

So Bild’s estimate of 1.2 million is exactly half of the population of Abu Dhabi. That’s how big the number is. Now think about the two per cent figure. Is that not a significant number of people going untreated for their learning disabilities, which could potentially lead to anxiety, depression or worse?

The importance of treating people with learning disabilities is not about figures. Every child matters.

In the UAE too, there is a need to look at the situation. “Here, there is a large grey zone when it comes to children and learning disabilities,” says Nof Al Mazroui, co-founder, The Developing Child Centre (TDCC). “We are equipped for severe cases with places like the Dubai Autism centre for instance; but there are large numbers of children with mild or moderate disabilities who go undiagnosed for years.”

Undiagnosed learning difficulties

The UK’s National Health Service defines learning disabilities as instances in which some children find it harder to learn, understand and communicate than it is for other children. Disabilities are also classified as mild, moderate or severe.

Al Mazroui, an Emirati mother of four, has partnered with Dalya Tabari, also a mother of two, to found TDCC. The idea of the centre, which opens next month in Umm Suqeim, is to provide parents in the UAE with locally available, affordable and high quality support for their children’s learning disabilities. The centre has partnered with the UK’s London Children’s Practice to deliver transferable knowledge to be utilised by TDCC’s trained occupational therapists.

“If we ask mothers in the UAE whether their children need occupational therapy, the question will probably be not fully comprehended,” says Tabari. “But if we ask them if their children have behavioural or handwriting issues, they might relate to it as occupational therapy.”

Subsidising support

The team at TDCC has committed themselves to dedicating more than 60 per cent of net profits to the Hiba Fund, which will subsidise treatment for families without the means to finance treatment.

“Hiba means gift in Arabic and the fund came about because of all the stories we’ve heard of families who simply cannot afford treatment for their children who desperately need it,” says Nof. “This is why TDCC will subsidise therapies from its profits for those in need, regardless of social status, nationality or creed, because every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential.” However, the Hiba fund is still in the process of formation.

The early intervention programme’s annual fees are in the region of Dh65,000, which delivers a five- hour daily individualised programme for children under six, adds Tabari, Individual hour-long therapy sessions fall in the region of Dh400.

Early intervention

The founding team at TDCC believes in early treatment, which is why they offer early intervention programmes for children under six as well as support therapy up to the age of 18. Official statistics on the number of youth in the UAE’s public and private schools battling learning disabilities are not available, but the founders of TDCC have done their research.

“There is a great need for the support of children in mainstream schools because statistically, research shows one in four children have some sort of learning and developmental difference,” says Tabari. “We went into private schools, American and British, and asked teachers to give us an average percentage of children who they feel need support with learning disabilities and they said, between 25 to 30 per cent.”

“The idea of unlocking children’s potential came about then because it is unacceptable for our society to not maximise the potential of its children,” she adds.

The founding of the centre is close to both the women’s hearts as each had been actively seeking out support for her child diagnosed with learning and developmental disabilities.

“We were lucky to be able to receive support for our children abroad but some parents are not able to do that,” says Tabari. “These parents are left at the mercy of being told their child is not learning, is disruptive, or has behavioural problems. But they are not offered solutions because schools simply do not have the resources. This is where TDCC comes in.”

-For more information log onto: www.tdcc.ae