Mentally disabled children’s time skills development thesis discussed

Manama, June 11 (BNA): Researcher at the Learning Difficulties and Developmental Disorders Department in the College of Graduate Studies in the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) Zainab Dashti recently discussed her master’s thesis titled “The effectiveness of a program to develop time skills slightly in mentally disabled children”. “Time is important to develop daily life skills. Teaching disabled children about the importance of time could be a difficult matter that can’t be easily absorbed by them. So, there is a need to develop a program that is based on simple and fun activities to deliver this information to them and enable them to recall this information quickly,” Dashti explained. “The skills of adaptive behavior are an essential part of children's lives in general. The lack of these skills leads to the failure of children to achieve psychosocial adjustment, which prevents their interaction with their social environment. Therefore, the development of adaptive behavior skills in time contributes to the rehabilitation of children with disabilities and enhancing their ability to communicate and improves their social interaction,” she added. In her study, Dashti examined 16 children with minor mental disabilities. She recommended implementing training programs that are based on utilizing diverse strategies while teaching children on time skills. She also underlined the importance of teaching time skills as it has positive impacts on life skills and adaptive behavior. The examiners panel consisted of Learning Difficulties and Early Childhood Assistant Professor Dr. Mariam Al Shirawi, Social Psychology Assistant Professor Dr. Mansor Sayah, Special Education Assistant Professor Dr. Nadia Tazi and Special Education Professor at King Saud University Dr. Bandar Al Otaibi as an external examiner.