UAE: Registration for support services opens for students with special needs
Details to be submitted online for rehab and intervention programmes in next school year
Dubai: The Ministry of Community Development on Sunday announced that the beginning of registration of students of determination (with special educational needs) for the next academic year 2024/2025 will be from April 15 to June 28.
Registration can be done through the ministry’s website (www.mocd.gov.ae). Admission is limited to children with intellectual disabilities, autism, and multiple disabilities where intellectual disability coexists with other disabilities.
Qualified individuals from the support committee of the Emirates Schools Establishment evaluate the nominated cases according to specific criteria and standards. If the student succeeds these assessments, they are included into the appropriate stage based on their abilities and age.
The number of graduating students for the previous academic year 2022/2023 had reached around 53 students who benefited from the rehabilitation and educational services aimed at developing their skills in various fields and enhancing their social inclusion to achieve empowerment and comprehensive inclusion.
Rehabilitation services
The services provided by the centres for people of determination vary between physical and occupational therapy for developing motor skills, speech therapy, as well as psychological assessment and behaviour modification services, educational classes focusing on students’ cognitive and general life skills, vocational rehabilitation services to empower people of determination with the professional skills they need to enhance their abilities and potentials, helping them access employment opportunities.
Early intervention units
The Early intervention centres and units affiliated to the ministry provide rehabilitation services for children under the age of 6 years with confirmed disabilities, developmental delays, or at risk of developmental delays, whether physical, sensory, or communicative conditions to mitigate the effects of disability on the child and their family if present, and reduce the likelihood of developmental delays turning into disabilities. Additionally, they educate families and involve them in family training programmes aimed at enhancing children’s abilities in various cognitive, communicative, social, and physical aspects.
The Emirates Early Intervention Programme annually identifies children who are approaching inclusion once they reach the age of four. Both the specialised team and the family agree to enrol the expected inclusive child in an intensive rehabilitation programme, while an individual transition plan is developed for each child, outlining the expected educational goals to be achieved, six months before the beginning of inclusion. Subsequently, an evaluation of the transition plan outcomes is conducted to assess the extent of goal achievement in collaboration with the Emirates Schools Establishment.