Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
Mental health and education experts and practitioners in the UAE discussed remarkable strategies that they use to work with young people, especially children with disabilities, to provide a positive and safe environment for them.
The strategies were analysed at a session titled “Mental Health is a right, not a choice” at the World Congress 2025 ‘We Are Inclusion’ which began in Sharjah on September 15 and continues until September 17.
Speaking about the importance of creating a positive culture and positive relationships for young people in order to provide an environment that is inclusive and positive, Cathy Duncan, behaviour specialist and trainer at Crisis Prevention Institute in Dubai, stated: “As adults, it is really important that we really believe that every young person we work with has the capacity to grow, to develop and they are not just there as a recipient to receive care. So we need to be their champion.”
She added that safety is not just physical safety but their emotional, psychological and relational safety, and if one of them falls, it would jeopardise all of them. She presented the concept of “practitioner as intervention” where the way practitioners interact with young people was more important than the strategies used.
5 core tenets
For this, she introduced five core principles of practice: consistent and calm adult behaviour, sustainable and clear routines, positive attention to best conduct, planned, non-confrontational interventions, and restorative approaches that are not punitive after a negative incident.
According to Dr. Amani Shabaan Shokr, a specialist psychologist with the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), families play an important role in society to protect the dignity of the disabled child. Dr. Amani added that psychological safety is affected by the culture of the society a child grows, the legislations in place, inclusive education to children with disabilities, provision of relevant health services, and love and kindness within the institutions that provide support. She lauded the role of Sharjah city in supporting children with disabilities.
Dr. Sarah Al Amiri, a psychologist associated with SCHS, discussed the need to improve self-confidence in children with development disorders. “Supporting positive behaviour and supporting parents are important. The psychology of the parent affects the child, so we have come up with activities to help them tackle the daily challenge,” she said. She went on to give the example of a girl student who overcame self-harming behaviour through persistent therapy and is now active in her classroom. She also noted how they endeavoured to correct negative aspects in the school environment for students with disabilities.
Dr. Walaa Al Ahmed, also from SCHS, noted that children can be taught good values through stories; concentration and confidence can also be improved through them. She has mentored children with disabilities to create their own storybooks which bring out their personality. She presented an illustrated book done with 15-year-old Ali Ziad, whose parents spoke about their experience of bringing up a child with intellectual disability and who now attends Grade 10 in an international school in the UAE. They spoke of his dream to become a businessman like his father by opening a café soon.
World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion” continues in Sharjah until September 17, bringing together more than 500 participants from 74 countries, including 152 speakers representing 160 organisations, across 59 parallel sessions. Hosted in the MENA region for the first time, the Congress serves as a leading platform for advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities. It is co-organised by Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services and Inclusion International.
Earlier, experts stressed that genuine progress in supporting persons with intellectual disabilities is not measured by the quantity of tools or therapy sessions, but by the extent to which individuals are empowered to communicate, make decisions, and lead more independent, fulfilling lives through assistive technologies.
A central takeaway from the session “Talking, Participating, Making Difference: Ways of Giving Good Support,” was held on the inaugural day of the World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion.”
The session featured Anwar Obeid, a speech and language specialist and Head of the Severe Disabilities Centre at Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, Camille Matta, assistive technology expert and Managing Director of Consort World, and 25-year-old self-advocate Khawla Jodr.