Sharifa Yateem Consulting is a consulting and training agency, which prides itself in empowering stakeholders in their work with people with autism spectrum disorder, or other related disorders. Situated in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it works with master degree holders and board-certified behavior analysts with years of experience working with communities. The agency is the brainchild of Sharifa Yateem, a holder of Master’s of Science (M.S) in Applied Behavior Analysis at Trinity College Dublin, and the first Emirati Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
In addition to her agency, Yateem also founded Sharifa Yateem Center for Rehabilitation, an institution focusing on early behavioral intervention, social and life skill developments, school readiness programs, transitioning to the workplace, and so on. Yateem is also the co-founder of ABA-UAE ABAI affiliated chapter, and creator of the educational app “Tokenat.”
With extensive experience in autism, Yateem has experience in training special educators, therapists, nannies, parents, siblings, and other personnel in teaching children with autism. She had also previously worked as consultant specialist at New England Center for Children in 2012, and was lead therapist at New England Center for Children in the same year.
Yateem is quite passionate in helping people with special needs become an active part of Emirati society. “It is known that individuals with special interests can contribute substantially to the economy, such as in the areas of technology, arts, music, pastoral support, sciences and many more,” she said in an interview with Khaleej Times.
She also commented on the UAE's role in inclusive empowerment, saying, “One of the major pillars of the UAE’s vision for the future is the employment initiative that focuses on inclusive employment policies. I am proud to see that the UAE is one of the first countries in the Middle East that is closing this [inclusive employment] gap.”
