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The Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination, ZHO, and the United Arab Emirates University, UAEU, announced the successful implementation of the first Adaptive Behaviour Scale for People of Determination, utilising scientific research to develop and adopt various psychological and educational scales within the UAE.
This was the result of the long and diligent two-year effort of experts and specialists at the ZHO and the Special Education Department at the College of Education, which included a field application that targeted a sample of 920 students, both Emirati and non-Emirati, and male and female from different age groups up to 18, across the emirates. After the completion of the scale’s field application, the resulting data was analysed using the necessary scientific and statistical methods to meticulously determine the level of accuracy and consistency, as well as the scale’s weighted scores and criteria to make the scale available for use.
This is the first scale in the world that combines the direct examination of a child by the specialist and the caregiver’s assessment of certain aspects of their growth. It consists of 22 age groups (1-18 years), with a range of six months for the lower groups. The scale measures 10 development sub-areas: communication, academic skills, listening skills, social skills, self-help skills, self-guidance skills, motor skills, social skills, life skills, and safety and security skills.
Abdulla Abdulalee Alhumaidan, General Secretary of ZHO, emphasised that as the official authority in the emirate of Abu Dhabi for the care and rehabilitation of People of Determination and the development of the necessary tools, scales and programmes for the purpose, the ZHO saw the need for a scale that fits the UAE context and fulfils the diagnostic requirements set by the WHO and entities associated with it.
He added that the organisation, under the leadership of H.H. Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the ZHO Board, deeply appreciates the role of educational institutions in taking care of People of Determination (persons with disabilities).
Dr. Najwa Al Housani, Acting Dean of the UAEU College of Education, said that the College of Education employs its staff and scientific expertise to achieve a quantum leap in providing services to People of Determination to enable their complete integration into their communities.
Dr. Hala El Howeris, Chair of the Special Education Department, stated that adaptive behaviour is a key indicator and criterion for the diagnosis and assessment of different basic child development skills, in that it identifies distinguishing factors, such as the level of social development, realistic, accurate indications of the level of skill, and the severity and level of disability, helping assess the development of students from 1-18 years of age using reliable scientific approaches.
Dr. Ousha Almuhairy, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the UAEU College of Education, stated that assessing adaptive behaviour helps identify the strengths of students and areas of improvement, in general, using comparisons with peers of the same age or cultural background. She added that it provides highly valuable information for clinical training, and plays an important role in planning and evaluating treatment and intervention strategies.
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