A lesson so special

Dubai: When Noreen Chanandin in good-natured humour urged her four-year-old son Daana Rawanduzy to look at the monkey face that his daddy was making, she couldn't believe her ears when he said, "No mummy, daddy is handsome."

Barely five months ago, Daana couldn't string two words together, let alone a whole sentence. He wouldn't respond to his name being called and didn't mix with other children at his nursery, with his angelic eyes even refusing to make eye contact.

Shocking discovery

Realising that something was amiss, Noreen brought him to the special needs Child Early Intervention Medical Centre (CEIMC) at the Dubai Health Care City which diagnosed him with mild autism. A series of biomedical and other tests also revealed that he was severely intolerant to 50 types of foods.

It was a shocking discovery but Noreen and her husband resolved to take the challenge head on. "Thanks to CEIMC, Daana is full of personality today and is in love with classical music," said Noreen, adding that if all goes well, he will be ready for a mainstream school next September.

He began to make eye contact within three days of the centre putting him on a special diet that eliminated all intolerant foods, she said, noting that an advanced educational programme had brought about a dramatic change in his comprehension and vocabulary.

Like Daana, there are 70 other children with developmental delays who are being subjected to the Applied Behaviourial Analysis (ABA) at CEIMC, 15 of whom have already been integrated into mainstream schools.

As Dr Hibah Shata, Managing Director and Co-founder of CEIMC, explained, ABA is a one-on-one intervention programme for special needs children designed and monitored by the US-based Centre for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). The therapy is initially administered at the centre and at home, and then generalised to other settings, including a regular school.

"The intensive programme entails 20 to 45 hours of therapy per week," said Dr Shata, adding that it requires a commitment of two to four years. At Dh135 per hour, the sessions don't come cheap but Dr Shata said the centre had to cover the cost of hiring highly trained professionals.

"Parents should look out for initial signs of developmental delays as early intervention is key to the success of ABA," she said.

Dr Shata, who has an autistic daughter herself, said ABA had helped the five-year-old to easily integrate into the mainstream American Academy for Girls where she is now studying.

Not all children with developmental delays are as lucky though, she said, regretting that placements for them in regular schools are still very difficult in the UAE.

To make this easier, she said the CEIMC started the Child Learning and Enrichment Centre last November where psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and occupational therapists would prepare the kids for regular schools.

Signs of developmental delays parents should look out for

• Poor eye contact
• Resistance to physical contact
• Lonesome, oblivious to others
• Lines up toys or objects
• Delayed speech
• Echoes words
• Has robot-type speech
• Constant or repetitive movement

Resistance to change

Experts, teachers and families of children with developmental delays will hold ‘Recovery Begins' event on January 15. call 04-423 3667. The Children's City will mark International Special Needs People Day on January 13.