WSA: New Report on Special Educational Needs in Dubai, UAE

‘Cost’, ‘Diagnosis’ and ‘Disclosure’ Among the Key Issues Facing Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the UAE - WhichSchoolAdvisor.com report

July, 2014, DUBAI --- Parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) face costs of up to 60 percent more in addition to standard tuition and schooling costs, according to a major report published today by WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.

Another issue identified is the significant variation in diagnosis quality currently available.

‘Cost of schooling in the UAE is an issue of ongoing concern for all parents in the UAE particularly as only 15 percent receive help from their companies with school fees,’ says James Mullan, ‘But this is an issue of enormous significance for parents whose children have Special Educational Needs.  Should parents have to bear the full cost of educating their children with SEN or should other parties step up to the plate? If so who should these be? These are key questions that provoke enormous debate within the SEN community and have yet to be resolved.”

The report was compiled over three months and involved extensive research and discussion with key figures within the SEN community including doctors, diagnosticians, child psychologists and those involved in inclusion initiatives within schools.

Key findings are:

- Not all ADHD drugs are permanently available in the UAE.

- Many schools prefer not to discuss their SEN students or admission policy for children with SEN for fear of being viewed as ‘a special school’

- Many parents feel forced into non-disclosure of special educational needs- to avoid admission failure

- Effective inclusion only works when it begins at the top

- Many children educated in Dubai have complex educational needs, having often changed: countries, care givers and school systems, language of instruction and more. This allows SEN issues to be ‘masked’ or even missed all together.

Since the 1990s the number of children diagnosed with SEN has been increasing. In 2013, both the UK and US noted figures of approximately one in five children with special educational needs. According to KHDA’s most recent report 52 mainstream schools in Dubai accept applications from children with special educational needs. The vast majority of these are British curriculum (24 schools) and American schools a not so close second.

The report can be found on http://whichschooladvisor.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=58253187cc9583deedbd7fb26&id=ce3532a3ac&e=4b6f2bf00a and as part of the feedback process WSA is launching a survey for parents, carers and other interested parties to provide their views on this highly important and sensitive topic.