In this paper, we assess the current situation in the Gulf States with respect to autism awareness and diagnostic facilities, and emphasize the need for epidemiology studies in light of prevalence statistics available for the Gulf region. We then inspect social robotics as a possible therapeutic tool, now popularly used in the western countries, to design intervention techniques in order to tackle the increasing rate of autism occurrence in the Gulf. We study effective robot design methodologies, and the measures that must be taken to improve the facilities in the said region.
['Hifza Javed', 'John-John Cabibihan', 'Asma Al-Attiyah']
Autism in the Gulf States: Why social robotics is the way forward