Autism in Saudi Arabia: Media and the Medical Model of Disability

Sulaimani, Mona F.; Daghustani, Wid H.

doi:10.1155/2022/4824606

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The challenges mentioned in the previous research studies ( cf. , Sulaimani & Gut, 2019 ; Bury et al, 2021 , etc .) address mainly the difficulty to access the several provided services, the number of individuals for each service, limited knowledge about autism, etc .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toward an autism-friendly environment based on mobile apps user feedback analysis using deep learning and machine learning models

Haoues

Mokni

2023

PeerJ Computer Science

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Autistic people are often disadvantaged in employment, education, etc. In fact, autistic students/employees face several challenges navigating and communicating with their superiors and colleagues. Mobile applications for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD apps for short) have been increasingly being adapted to help autistic people manage their conditions and daily activities. User feedback analysis is an effective method that can be used to improve ASD apps’ services. In this article, we investigate the usage of ASD apps to improve the quality of life for autistic students/employees based on user feedback analysis. For this purpose, we analyze user reviews suggested on highly ranked ASD apps for college students, and workers. A total of 97,051 reviews have been collected from 13 ASD apps available on Google Play and Apple App stores. The collected reviews have been classified into negative, positive, and neutral opinions. This analysis has been performed using machine learning and deep learning models. The best performances were provided by combining RNN and LSTM models with an accuracy of 96.58% and an AUC of 99.41%. Finally, we provide some recommendations to improve ASD apps to assist developers in upgrading the main services provided by their apps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In third-world countries, providing special education for autistic has been slow. This is affected by the individual’s culture and attitude ( Sulaimani & Gut, 2019 ). People with autism need special care and services, however, the increasing number of individuals being diagnosed with autism made things more challenging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an autism-friendly environment based on mobile apps user feedback analysis using deep learning and machine learning models

Haoues

Mokni

2023

PeerJ Computer Science

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“…Awareness about autism is limited in Arabs countries [42] as well as in Saudi Arabia due to the uncertainty of autism causes [43] and the lack of services. However, the majority of Saudis have heard about autism [44] but with confusion surrounding its organic causes [45]. As mentioned in previous sections, there are different beliefs, based on culture, about the cause of autism such as an evil eye in addition to limited knowledge about treatments.…”

Section: Cultural Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also has passed laws to ensure any disabled student receives free and proper education [53]. In 2004, the Saudi government began investing in special education research and encouraging and financially supporting universities to establish special education and autism programs [45]. Providing more educational services helps ASD individuals have better outcomes [6], independence as an instance.…”

Section: Cultural Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

ASDLAF: A Novel Autism Spectrum Disorder Learning Application Framework for Saudi Adults

Almazni

Beloff

2022

Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder that causes difficulties in social interaction and communication for individuals with ASD. Although many studies about autism have been conducted across the world especially in Western countries, the topic is still in its infancy stage in developing countries. In particular, little is known about ASD in Saudi Arabia. With the increase of autism prevalence, it is noticeable that there is a lack of services for ASD people -especially adults. In this context, this study reviews and outlines the current situation with ASD services for adults in Saudi Arabia and how technology has supported the autism society in the region. This position paper advances the literature by developing a proposed novel Autism spectrum disorder learning application framework (ASDLAF) to investigate how ASD learning applications can help adults in Saudi Arabia by discovering and assessing factors that most influence the adoption of 'ASD learning applications'. The paper also outlines the methodology to be followed for ASDLAF evaluation. The result provides a comprehensive blueprint for applications developers and offers salient insights for the Saudi government for special education improvements.

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“…Moreover, third-world countries are still struggling to provide these services to them (Taha and Hussein, 2014). The limited research conducted has led to significant challenges in assessing and enhancing the available services (Iannuzzi et al, 2015;Sulaimani and Gut, 2019). To address the needs of individuals with ASD in Saudi Arabia, the government provides funding to private institutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living with autism: Quality of life assessment for young adults with autism in Saudi Arabia

Algazlan,

Alsharidi,

Alqady

et al. 2024

Int. j. adv. appl. sci.

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Quality of life (QoL) impacts the future health outcomes of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Past research, although limited, has shown that people with ASD often experience a lower quality of life. Yet, there's not much research focusing on the quality of life of young adults with autism, especially in Saudi Arabia, where it appears no studies have assessed the QoL of adults with autism. This study aims to evaluate and compare the quality of life between young adults with ASD and those without (a control group) in Saudi Arabia to pinpoint areas that could be improved. The study included 439 participants, with 107 being adults with autism and 332 without (a 1:3 ratio). An Arabic translation of the World Health Organization (WHO) QoL short version (WHOQOL-BREF) was used for assessment. The average age of participants with ASD was 24.82 years, with the average age for diagnosis and starting treatment being around 7.4 and 8.28 years, respectively. Those with ASD reported a significantly lower quality of life (1.68) in all areas compared to the control group (3.96), especially in social relationships (average score=27.01). A negative correlation was found between the age at diagnosis and at starting treatment with overall QoL, suggesting that a delay in diagnosis is associated with a lower quality of life. The study reveals that adults with ASD in Saudi Arabia have a lower QoL in all areas compared to the general population, indicating that early diagnosis and intervention could improve their quality of life. These results emphasize the need for policy changes to better support individuals with ASD in improving their quality of life.

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Autism in Saudi Arabia: Media and the Medical Model of Disability

Cited by 6 publications

References 33 publications

Toward an autism-friendly environment based on mobile apps user feedback analysis using deep learning and machine learning models

Toward an autism-friendly environment based on mobile apps user feedback analysis using deep learning and machine learning models

ASDLAF: A Novel Autism Spectrum Disorder Learning Application Framework for Saudi Adults

Living with autism: Quality of life assessment for young adults with autism in Saudi Arabia

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