EXPERTS discussed the need for intensive care and specialized support to children with autism disability to overcome their mental barriers at a seminar on World Autism Awareness Day at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Sunday, newspaper reports said. They said autism is a genetic disorder with a unique state of mind, it is not a disease and no one knows what causes it although environmental pollution with lead and pesticide is widely blamed for it. Physicians at the seminar held the view that parents should not feel embarrassed about their autistic children, they should not also quarrel over whose fault it is for a child being autistic.
They said autism can be physically and emotionally challenging and limited knowledge about it in the society has made the situation much more difficult. The people need to understand that autism affects children of all races, both boys and girls in all geographic regions and sidelining the parents and children will not make the situation anyway easier. But many schools do not accept children with autism and the cause behind it is that they are not equipped to take care of and groom these children. Despite many challenges, some parents however do all that they can to help their children lead normal life. Emphasis has been laid on learning more by parents about the disorder to better understand the autistic children. We know that the government of Bangladesh has already adopted several projects to help the autistic children and their parents while some awareness programmes are also at work to remove misunderstanding about the disease.
We suggest that more NGOs must get them involved with the programme targetting to educate the parents and train the children. Schools should also have trained instructors to handle the autistic children while regular teachers may also have training in how to deal with mentally retarded children. Independent private sector initiative may also join hand in such programmes. Parents and family of autistic children need many special services that include better access to medical care and updates of the latest technologies and therapies. Academic institutions should also employ staff and develop special care and other facilities to handle autistic children.
We suggest that a network of parents with autistic children may be created through developing awareness projects. They may benefit from sharing experiences and advice to help one another. Even though there is no cure for autism, parents may be able to reduce pressure using the service at a platform.
