RIYADH: The King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSCDR) announced the launch of an interactive smartphone application for learning difficulties on Sunday — an updated version of an app used by KSCDR since 2013. The announcement came during a speech by Ola Sukkar, KSCDR general executive director and director of research and training, at a panel discussion titled “Road map Towards the Hoped-For,” organized with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education to celebrate the Gulf Day of Learning Disabilities, “We Can,” held annually on May 3. The panel discussion aimed to unify efforts to improve and develop services for students with learning disabilities and their families. Representatives of KSCDR presented a brief introduction on their research and training programs, which have been provided through the National Program for Learning Disabilities since its inception in 2012. The program is supported by the aerospace giant Boeing under a memorandum of understanding signed with the center. The original version of the app was the first Arabic-language awareness-raising app for learning disabilities, and a vital source of information for families and teachers, providing a database of various information. The new version offers effective counselling and teaching strategies through evidence-based practices illustrated in videos, in addition to a number of measurement tools and primary indicators to identify learning difficulties in early stages of development. The panel discussion identified the research and training priorities needed by people with learning disabilities, teachers, and specialists to launch an action plan to achieve maximum benefit. Attendees stressed the need to coordinate and combine the efforts of relevant bodies to address learning disorders, and highlighted the importance of specialized educational research to improve teaching standards.