Parents shocked as ‘special’ girl’s Dubai education grounded

Dubai: Parents of 14-year-old British girl Leah, who suffers from a complex genetic disorder that has severely affected her intellectual and physical development, are shocked and helpless after her school graduated her. This implies that her school education has now come to an end, which in Leah’s case is not welcome news owing to her special circumstances.

A student of the Dubai Centre for Special Needs, Leah will not be attending the school anymore from June, and her parents fear she will regress once she stops going to school.

“We were very shocked when they told us she won’t be attending school anymore. They said she has plateaued which means she can make no progress any further, which is highly unfair.

“We fear Leah will regress,” said Rachel, her mother.

Due to her condition, Leah’s intellectual progress is similar to that of about a two-year-old. “For the last eight years she has been going to school and her life revolves around it. She needs to be assisted all the time and though we had really not expected she would be able to walk, but during these years we have seen her starting to walk, swim and recently she even took our dog out for a walk,” said Rachel.

Every little thing that she is able to do is an achievement, said her parents.

“Every Saturday evening she would get her uniform and I can see the joy on her face that shows how eager she is to go to school. We have seen her smile here,

“I still do not want to think she would not be going to school anymore. Does not every child deserve an education? Is it her fault she is born with the syndrome?” a tearful Rachel asked.

“A routine is very important for a special needs child. Lack of professional advice and structured format would affect her condition, she might become fraught and frustrated staying at home,” said her father Stephen.

After being told by the school that Leah has graduated, her parents have been trying hard to find education options for Leah. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to find anything and we doubt we will. We were hoping she would continue with her schooling at least until she was 18 and continue getting better,” he added.

No comment was immediately available from the school.