How one man's love for his son led to Zayed Sustainability Prize nomination

A father's ingenious approach to supporting his autistic son has led to him being nominated for a prestigious award.

In 2017, Ronaldo Lima Cohin Ribeiro, then a computer science student living in Brazil, was trying to find ways to help Lucas, now 12, who had an autism diagnosis.

This led to the creation of an app that helps children with autism and other neurodivergent conditions. Fast forward to this year and Mr Ribeiro has been nominated for the Zayed Sustainability Prize for creating the Jade app.

What started as a project to help Mr Ribeiro, 42, graduate from university has evolved into a vital tool for families across the world.

“I was a father of a seven-year-old autistic child,” Mr Ribeiro told The National. "As a data scientist and a father, I saw firsthand how limited the tools were for early diagnosis and personalised support. That personal experience became my mission: to build technology that could truly understand each child’s unique way of learning.

“When my son was very young, I noticed how traditional evaluations failed to capture his real abilities. In structured environments, he would struggle, but when playing with puzzles or digital games his intelligence and logic were clear.”

Ronaldo Lima Cohin Ribeiro, a Brazilian living in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ronaldo Lima Cohin Ribeiro

Mr Ribeiro, who now lives in Abu Dhabi, started to consider how many more children had been