Though in Jharkhand people are now familiar with the cases of Down syndrome, mental retardation but ‘autism’ is still not proverbial among public and the health workers.
“Autism a mental condition, present from early childhood, set apart by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts is considered as a stigma in the society which need to be tackled in the most sensitive way,” said Director, Deepshikha Institute for Child Development and Mental Health Alka Nizamie.
In order to sensitise health workers and NGOs in Jharkhand towards Autism, an awareness programme was conducted at Deepshikha Institute for Child Development and Mental Health here on Saturday. “Basic problem in our society is that most of us have lack knowledge and less awareness about autism. In fact many health workers are not aware about the symptoms of autism and they mislead the guardians in such cases which further create problem for children suffering from autism,” said Nizamie.
Deepa Jalan of Com-DEAll trust which creates awareness about autism, said that it is due to myths and misconceptions on autism, proper treatments are most often not offered to children who are suffering from Autism. “But there are several hurdles which need to be tackled like how to diagnose a child with autism, what are the measures after diagnosis which need to be adopted, how to proceed with the cases of autism are few vital queries. Awareness among NGOs and health workers in Jharkhand especially in rural and interior areas about Autism is mandatory. Autistic patients can lead a normal life if the symptoms are diagnosed at the tender age of two and are guided by specialised training institutes without wasting time”, said Jalan. Dr Shakshi Rai Assistant Professor, Clinical psychology remarked on behavioral issues in autism and shared her views on various techniques for behavior management in autism. As many as 55 from various districts participated the event.