Presentation Schedule
Assessment and Intervention Strategies for Exceptional Children: Successful Stories in Children Diagnosed with ASD in UAE (96020)
Session Chair: Ahmed Mohamed
Thursday, 2 October 2025 16:40
Session: Session 3
Room: (B1) Gràcia
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can affect individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and heritages. Many cultural factors may change the individuals’ ASD experience in daily life and impacts how autism is tackled, interpreted, and acknowledged in various communities. The study explores the effectiveness of an especially designed Educational Robotics (ER)-based intervention program in enhancing social communication skills, and reducing repetitive behaviors in preschool-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Despite the growing recognition of ER as a potential tool for supporting children with ASD, limited research exists on its application in early childhood settings within the UAE context. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was used, combining quantitative pre- and post-intervention assessments with qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the intervention's impact. Participants are children aged 5–7 years with an official ASD diagnosis and their teachers. The intervention involves play-based activities using the Bee-Bot robot, delivered over a 10–12 weeks period at the new MBS Center for Exceptional Children in Abu Dhabi. The Motor Behavior Checklist for Children (MBC: Efstratopoulou et al, 2012) will be used by professionals to rate the children on the Social Interaction and Stereotyped Behavior Scales and Teacher’s interviews will be used to explore their perceptions on the effectiveness of the Program. Findings will contribute to the development of tailored ER interventions in early childhood education for improving Social Skills in young children with ASD in UAE.
Authors:
Maria Efstratopoulou, UAEU-MBSCEC, United Arab Emirates
Ashraf Moustafa, UAEU-MBSCEC, United Arab Emirates
About the Presenter(s)
Dr MARIA EFSTRATOPOULOU is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at UAEU in United Arab Emirates
See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule
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