Investigating the early signs of ASD in preschool children in the UAE as a model for GCC countries
ISSN: 2056-3868
Article publication date: 8 January 2024
Issue publication date: 13 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children’s early years significantly impacts their academic performance and future life. It allows them to receive special support services and the required early intervention. Preschool teachers spend considerable time with their students, which allows them to observe their behaviors in different settings like classrooms and playgrounds. However, teachers need to be knowledgeable of ASD early assessment to detect them. Whereas, all well-known ASD assessment tools are designed for populations from different cultures than the Gulf Cooperation Councils' (GCC) culture. This study emphasizes the importance of preschool age, from 3 to 5, in indicating children's early signs of ASD. This paper aims to indicate the early signs of ASD in preschool children in the UAE as a model for other GCC countries.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative method consisting of interviews with preschool teachers and the ASD children’s parents was conducted to investigate the ASD early symptoms in children.
Findings
The findings of the study show that there is a direct connection between the opinions expressed by preschool teachers and the parents of children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). These results also highlight the presence of early indications of ASD among preschool-aged children in the United Arab Emirates, such as difficulties in communication, repetitive actions, delayed speech, excessive focus on tablets, trouble paying attention, hyperactivity, sleep problems, and aggressive behavior.
Originality/value
The outcomes suggest a strong connection between the feedback from preschool teachers and the parents of children with ASD. The study uncovers initial indications of ASD in preschool-aged children from the United Arab Emirates, such as difficulties in communication, repetitive actions, delayed speech, excessive fascination with tablets, problems with attention, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, and aggressive behavior.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Statements and declarations:The author declare that there is no potential conflict of interest in this paper.
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
The authors declare that there are no financial or competing interests.
The authors declare that all provided data are cited properly.
All data mentioned or analysed during this study are referred to the original articles and included in the references list and the author will provide any further information requested.
Citation
AlQahtani, O. and Efstratopoulou, M. (2024), "Investigating the early signs of ASD in preschool children in the UAE as a model for GCC countries", Advances in Autism, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-07-2023-0040
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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