The Special Educational Requirements of the Pupils With Autism in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example

It is the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for providing a free and appropriate education for all students, including those with disabilities. It is also responsible for providing good quality special education programs for children with learning disabilities, like autism. as regards providing high-level facilities, The Ministry of Education has laid down certain eligibilities necessary to establish these services, and the special education programs are created with the primary aim of assisting the children with disabilities to learn to survive independently and adjust with the surrounding general atmosphere.

Various studies on the frequency of autism has shown that this disorder is particularly uncommon in the Middle East countries, and in an average it has been estimated that the prevalence of this disorder in the kingdom Saudi Arabia is 18 / 10,000, which is only slightly greater than the ratios of the developed nations that stands at 13 per 10,000. Owing to the disorder’s low prevalence, people with autism and other learning disabilities did not receive any kind of special facilities, in the form of educational programs, prior to 1958 in Saudi Arabia.

It was the sole responsibility of the parents of children with autism and other learning disabilities, to provide for all kinds of support and assistance to their children. For many years, children with learning disabilities or LDs like autism and other types of LDs were clubbed together under the category of ‘mental retardation’ in Saudi Arabia.