Attitudes Toward and Images of Childrenwith Special Needs

The media and literature play significant roles in shaping children’s attitudes toward children with special needs. Indeed, several research studies indicate that people with special needs were often portrayed negatively and inaccurately in children’s literature books. To date, no study has been found that investigated the available Arabic and/or English children’s literature books in the UAE to see how people with special needs are portrayed. The aim of this study, therefore, was twofold: a) to analyse children’s literature which feature books with special needs characters, and b) to examine the differences between Arabic and English children’s literature portrayal of people with special needs. One hundred and nine children’s literature books were reviewed. Findings of this study indicate that people with special needs were portrayed negatively in English and Arabic children’s literature books.