ABU DHABI // The nation’s efforts in integrating disabled children into regular classrooms have left more places at centres for children with more severe disabilities, the Minister of Social Affairs says.

For years, Mariam Al Roumi admitted to the Federal National Council that the ministry was unable to accommodate children with severe disabilities and autism because of a lack of specialists.

Now the ministry’s five centres are accepting these children. Until recently, they could only accommodate 15.

Ms Al Roumi said a centre would be built by next month and another would be ready next year in Umm Al Quwain.

“Previously, most of the cases we dealt with were of Down syndrome and other small disabilities,” she said. “Now they have merged into mainstream education.

“Before we did not take cases of autism and severe disabilities because they needed extremely specialised people. Specialists in autism are rare and difficult to find in the UAE or the Arab world.

“They are hard to come by even in the West but we have now trained a number of teachers in the area of autism and other disabilities.”

FNC member Hamad Al Rahoomi (Dubai) protested at the small number of centres the ministry had and Ms Al Roumi invited the council to let her know where new centres were needed.

osalem@thenational.ae