Early Intervention Service is considered as a rehabilitation and educational service for all children with special needs in the United Arab Emirates.  Children are eligible for services from the date of their birth until the age of five years old. The service is based on the principle that early teaching and therapy have great benefits for children with special needs. It also involves training for parents to learn how to support, teach, and care for their children with special needs.

This service promotes community awareness about the importance of the early identification of children with special needs and the benefits of providing interventions at the earliest possible age. This service is provided by the two Early Intervention Units in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.  

The Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs has created an online software program which allows standardized documentation of student information and provides teachers, therapists and administrators with access to important documents and resources.
 
Centers

• Abu Dhabi Center for Care and Rehabilitation
• Al Ain Center for Care and Rehabilitation.

Steps to complete the service: 

• The child will be referred to the Early Intervention Unit by the family, the specialist doctor or hospitals.
• An appointment will be set to meet the family.
• A personal file for each child will be kept, including child’s documents and medical reports.
• The file and the family will be referred to a social worker to make a case study.
• The file and the child will be referred to the Assessment Unit in order to assess the cognitive, communication, sensory and motor abilities of the child.
• The child will be referred to the trainer of the Comprehensive Development Program to develop an Individual Educational Plan and to create an intervention program based on the child’s needs and abilities.
• The plan will be implemented through an individual program based on a task analysis method.
• Progress on goals will be reviewed 3 times per year to determine the progress of the child’s development in all growth areas.
• An exploratory home visit and/or individual or group counseling will be made for parents.
• The post assessment will be made at the end of the academic year.
• The parents will receive the child’s final report for each academic year and the child’s summer program.