Abstract/Summary

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the welfare of children, whether they have special needs or health conditions such as ASD, or not (Al-Fayez & Ohaeri, 2011). It is also important to acknowledge that children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and neurotypical children in schools may be affected by low self-esteem, poor physical health, or psychological distress, and this could in turn influence their QoL. For these reasons, it is essential that children’s QoL is measured and understood, as this may give better insights into how their lives can be improved. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the QoL for both schoolchildren with ASD and neurotypical schoolchildren within the KSA school system. This study also aims to increase the validity for a standardised QoL instrument in Arabic for schoolchildren with ASD. Finally, it aims to compare QoL in KSA schoolchildren with ASD with those from Republic of Ireland. In order to achieve the pervious aims, quantitative approach has been employed. The quantitative component consists of the instrument translation and standardised assessment of QoL in KSA schoolchildren. This method is selected due to the need to empirically and objectively evaluate QoL in KSA schoolchildren as well as compare this dataset with pre-existing samples, such as that of the Kidscreen data collected amongst Irish schoolchildren. In KSA, while neurotypical schoolchildren rated their quality of life higher than schoolchildren with ASD, overall the findings of this study suggest that most Saudi Arabian schoolchildren with ASD enjoy a high health-related quality of life. Findings in this study will be of interest to the education sector and to people working with and on behalf of schoolchildren and young people.