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Samir Dukmak is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the United Arab Emirates University.The research reported in this article investigated the frequency, types of and reasons for studentinitiated interactions in both regular and special education classrooms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These interactions were studied in relation to various variables, including levels of students' academic achievement, their gender, special educational needs and disability. Teacher-initiated interactions were also examined in the study. Eighteen boys and girls from two regular and two special education classrooms were observed. Various types of interaction were identified among students and the results reveal that boys in all groups initiated more interactions than girls, and that highachieving boys and girls initiated more interactions than their low-achieving counterparts. The findings also reveal that teachers interacted differently with boys versus girls. The reasons prompting students to initiate classroom interaction are highlighted in this research.

This research advances our understanding of family responses to a child with intellectual disability in Arab cultures.

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A significant number of individuals all over the world experience various types of developmental disabilities. Families of these individuals are likely to be impacted by these disabilities in different ways. This research examines the UAE parents' adaptation and stress to the developmental disabilities that their children have as well as examines the impact of these disabilities on three family factors: family functioning, family social opportunities, and family general health. The relationships between these factors were investigated and also those between these factors and several child and family characteristics. The results revealed that parents who had better general health had also better family functioning, and had less stress. Child age was found to be associated with parents' stress, as stress decreases when the child gets older. The results also showed that parents' educational level was associated with their social opportunities. Further, parents' stress level was found to be linked to their children's behavior problems. Finally, the results of the study explored that the type of child's developmental disability impacted family social opportunities.