"When parents first come to me, they're usually carrying two things: hope and fear," Chancellor Dr. Engr. Lilac Perez Hosalla Schonberg told me. "Hope that someone can help their child, and fear that they simply can't afford it."
She has seen that fear countless times inside her center in Abu Dhabi.
"There are parents who delay therapy because they have to choose between paying rent or paying for intervention. Some quietly accept that their child may never receive the support they need because they think it's beyond their reach."
For her, that has never been acceptable.
"That's why I created the humanitarian scholarship."
The program supports children on the autism spectrum whose families cannot afford specialized care. Parents apply, submit proof of financial need, and once accepted, their children receive the same individualized program as every other child.
"I don't believe in giving a child a smaller version of what they deserve just because their parents have less."
What surprises many families is that the therapy itself is free for scholars. Every month, parents also attend intervention sessions where they learn practical ways to better understand and support their own children at home.
"I always tell parents that therapy doesn't stop when they leave the center. The home becomes part of the classroom."
For Dr. Schonberg, early intervention is everything.
"If we wait until a child is ten or twelve before they receive support, we've already lost precious years. The earlier we help them build communication, routines, and confidence, the more opportunities they have later in life."
She believes many parents aren't failing—they simply haven't been taught.
"Sometimes a parent doesn't know the difference between a tantrum and sensory overload. Once they understand their child, everything begins to change."
Her advocacy didn't begin inside a therapy room.
With a background in electrical computer engineering, further studies in artificial intelligence and mechatronics, and graduate work focused on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, she eventually found herself drawn toward helping children and families in a different way.
Technology still plays a role in her work, including tools such as social robots that help children practice communication and emotional recognition.
"But technology is never the goal," she said. "Access is."
She says much of what makes the scholarship possible comes from her own family's support.
"I've been blessed. If we have the ability to help, why shouldn't we?"
The work doesn't end with therapy sessions. She's preparing to release a book for parents of children with special educational needs—a practical guide built from years of working alongside families.
"I want parents to know they're not alone. Sometimes what they need most isn't perfection. It's someone walking beside them."
When asked what success looks like, she doesn't mention awards or recognition.
"I don't do this to be seen."
She paused before continuing.
"I do it because I want one day for a child who was once told they couldn't learn, couldn't work, or couldn't live independently... to prove everyone wrong."
"And if that happens, that's the only headline I'll ever need."