Children with autism spectrum disorder in the context of Arab countries and cultures

The field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Arab world is new. The dearth of ASD research in the Arab world is well recognised. There were no data available in the field of ASD in the Arab context collectively. Therefore, ASD researchers should attempt to discover the state of ASD from the Arab perspective. This thesis has attempted to expand our knowledge of the field of ASD in the Arab context, in particular children with ASD and their families. In Chapter 1 an introduction on Arab countries was presented including geography, religion, language, culture, and information about typical family systems. Further, the current state of ASD in Arab countries and cultures was discussed in terms of its diagnosis, prevalence, services available for individuals with ASD, and Arab parents’ stress and needs profiles. Four empirical studies then followed (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5). In the first study (Chapter 2) a systematic scoping review of social, educational, and psychological research on individuals with ASD and their family members in Arab countries and cultures was undertaken, highlighting many unexplored areas for research. Chapter 3 then presented an investigation of support needs of Arab families of children with ASD living in the United Kingdom (UK). Chapter 4 explored experiences of special educators from a special school on using a structured numeracy intervention with their pupils with ASD. The final study (Chapter 5) then carried out an initial evaluation of a structured numeracy intervention with children with ASD in Arab families living in the UK by training and supporting their parents to deliver the intervention at home. In Chapter 6 the findings from the four empirical studies were discussed, along with their implications for practice and future research. Overall this thesis has contributed new knowledge in relation to the field of ASD in the Arab context

Support needs and parent outcomes in Arab families of children with autism living in the United Kingdom

Research on the experiences of Arab families of children with autism living in non-Arab countries is scarce. A survey investigated the support needs, psychological distress, and parental relationships of Arab parents (n = 100) of children with autism living in the United Kingdom (UK). The survey consisted of five main questionnaires: a demographic questionnaire, the GO4KIDDS Brief Adaptive Scale, the Family Needs Survey, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Descriptive analysis indicated that the most frequently identified support needs were information, community services, and explaining to others. Parents reported high levels of psychological distress, a high level of parental relationship satisfaction with their spouse, and few parental disagreements about their child with autism. Regression analyses showed that increased child behavior problems predicted more total family needs. Higher levels of child prosocial behavior, the better health status of parents, and a larger number of children in the family were associated with lower levels of parental psychological distress. A longer time living in the UK was associated with more parental disagreement over issues related to the child with ASD. Reducing child behavior problems and increasing child prosocial behavior may be important targets for support and intervention to improve outcomes for Arab parents of autistic children

Teaching early numeracy to students with autism using a school staff delivery model

Mathematics is one of the core school subjects in the UK and an emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ mathematical competencies throughout all key stages. Despite that, the attainment of students with disabilities in mathematics remains low. The current study explored ways in which the Teaching Early Numeracy to children with Developmental Disabilities (TEN-DD) programme could be implemented by teaching staff in a special school in the UK to improve the numeracy skills of students with autism. Adaptations to the delivery of the programme were made during the study as a result of continued collaboration with the participating school. The findings suggest that it may be feasible to implement the TEN-DD programme using a school staff delivery model and it may help learners improve their early numeracy skills. Practical aspects of TEN-DD’s implementation highlighted the need to incorporate more systematic adaptations for minimally verbal students, as well as for learners who might need additional training with prerequisite skills

Special educators’ experiences of a numeracy intervention for autistic students

Very little qualitative research has been carried out about the experiences of educators who deliver mathematics evidence-based teaching programmes to autistic students. Using a semi-structured format, we interviewed ten educators who had been delivering the Teaching Early Numeracy to Children with Developmental Disabilities (TEN-DD) programme for eight months with autistic students in a special school setting. Reflexive thematic analysis findings indicated that taking part in the numeracy intervention was a valuable experience for both the educators and their students. There was initial scepticism about the intervention, but this was transformed to conviction during the implementation period. Educators reported an increased sense of competence in their teaching skills, evident in greater satisfaction and increased self-efficacy. Furthermore, there was a strong interest in continuing to use the numeracy intervention with students. There were also implementation challenges with TEN-DD, including students’ challenging behavior. The implications of these findings are discussed