Helping beautiful minds

For the first time in the Kingdom, students suffering from autism will be integrated with other students at the middle school level, it is learned. The move follows an outstanding success of the initiative, according to which autistic children were successfully integrated with primary students at government schools.

Education Minister Dr. Majid Al Nuaimi said the new initiative will be implemented starting next academic year. The minister yesterday visited Ammar bin Yasser Primary School for Boys, where he marked the World Autism Awareness Day. During the visit, he assured that the ministry is supporting autistic students, which has “remained a top priority”.

The ministry stated that the decision meant the students with autism disorder, will for the first time, be integrated with other students at middle schools. The Kingdom now has now 63 schools supervised by 121 teachers and 63 employees dedicated to students with mental disabilities.

These schools now tutor more than 470 students and the initiative is part of the Education Ministry’s efforts to support special needs children in the country.