Psychiatrists Stress On Increasing Public Awareness On 'World Autism Day'

ISLAMABAD, Apr 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2021 ) :Psychiatrists Friday on 'World Autism Day' stressed for increasing public awareness,highlighted the plight of families affected by autism as well as promote community acceptance of children with the condition as early treatment could improve functional outcomes for children with the disease.

Talking to ptv news channel, experts said that there was urgent need to create awareness among the parents and schools about autism and how to address this debilitating illness,adding,early detection of the disease would give a better chance of dealing with it.

Neurologist/Psychiatrist Dr Zarmeena Khan in AL shifa hospital said 'World Autism Awareness Day' was being observed today across the globe, including Pakistan to increase people's awareness about children afflicted by autism.

She explained that the Autism Spectrum Disorder was a developmental disability that cause several challenges for an individual including social, communication and behavioral difficulties, adding, ASD affected children needed extra care and they should be included in the mainstream schools.

She said every child needs a different sort of treatment and we need to train parents about how they could be deal with children because they were the ones who spend most time with their children.

"Therapy and early intervention are critical for alleviating some of the symptoms of autism, she said, adding, children with autism are hyper, have low tolerance and difficulty in learning and their behavior can sometimes be destructive."She suggested that families of children with autism should act sensibly so the mental development of their children would not be adversely affected, especially at a time when they were becoming more introverted due to COVID-19 and stay-at-home policies.

Another Psychiatrist Dr Sadaf Arif said that community should be more aware of the suffering of children with autism during the pandemic, adding, 'new normal' has become a source of trouble for our children as their routines have drastically changed.