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Laila Abdul Jalil, a first-year secondary student with autism, has been recognised by her school for her outstanding academic performance and active participation in school activities.
Her achievement comes as part of an inclusion initiative launched this academic year by Al Ahd Al Zaher Secondary School for Girls to better integrate students with disabilities into school life.
Principal Dr Nour Al Subaie said the project has helped create inspiring success stories and provided students with opportunities to showcase their abilities and reach their full potential.
Laila’s mother praised the initiative’s for its positive impact on her daughter’s academic development, particularly in improving her English language skills, including reading and speaking, while also increasing her passion for the subject.
The school has also implemented a tailored support plan to encourage Laila’s participation in a range of activities and events, helping to strengthen her social engagement and develop her personal and communication skills. The initiative has been further supported by strong co-operation and encouragement from her classmates.
Her achievements are all the more remarkable as school can often be more challenging for children with autism because the traditional classroom environment can often conflict directly with how their brains process information and interact with the world.
The core challenges span several areas including:
- Sensory overload: Traditional classrooms are filled with overwhelming sights, bright lights, echoes and loud background noises. These environments can trigger sensory processing issues, leading to physical discomfort, anxiety or meltdowns.
- Social and communication barriers: The unstructured parts of the school days – such as recess, lunch or group projects – can be highly stressful. Students with autism often have difficulty reading social cues or initiating conversations, which can lead to isolation or being misunderstood by peers.
- Planning: Students with autism struggle with planning and transitions. The fast-paced schedule of a typical school day can cause severe stress when trying to move form one task or classroom to another.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects millions of children worldwide and is now recognised in approximately one in every 36-1,000 children.
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