In a bid to spread awareness about autism and dispel stigma attached to it, the Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being (CCAW) on Sunday organised the 3rd Annual Autism Carnival: Celebrate Autism in Vasant Kunj. As part of the carnival, the CCAW put up special stalls for special education, speech and language therapies along with occupational therapy. The event was full of fun and frolic with diverse educational activities such as talent shows, art and craft, games besides host of other activities.
Pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, students and researchers in the field of autism joined the event in spreading awareness and educating the parents of the children suffering from autism. The main attraction of the carnival was the presence of noted fashion designers Shantanu and Nikhil. They presented prizes for the special talent show of kids suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “All the kids are special, and we should do everything we can to make them feel so, we have come here to help the organisers’ support this unique initiative for the affected children,” said Shantanu while handing over prizes to the children.
Dr. Deepak Gupta, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist & founder of Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being (CCAW) said, “Every child with ASD is unique in his or her own way, an attitude that our society has to understand, acknowledge and appreciate.” In developing nations like India, it is difficult to even find medical and other tests for diagnosis, let alone having accessible information on the problem. There is a prime need for raising awareness of ASD, he added. Sharing his experience, a parent of a child undergoing treatment for ASD, said, “ASD is often treated with extreme social disapproval. It gets difficult for us to try and make the other person understand the condition of our child.”