United Nations has declared April 2nd as the World Autism Awareness Day. Autism is an illness where the child may have problems in Communication, Social behaviour, learning and language. In the last few decades a lot has been researched on autism. It is important to identify autism at the earliest so that interventions can start early. There are treatment options available for autism at Anand Neuropsychiaty Clinic in Indore. Very few centres in central india identify autism and provide treatment. Treatment principles are based on training the child in a specific way to cope up in communication and language defects with the help of a multidisciplinary therapy team comprising of Psychiatrist, Occupational therapist, vocational therapist and child psychologist. Child therapists also train regading parenting skills in autism. A therapy program based on these principles is also known as Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA).

It has been seen that children suffering from autism can have extraordinary capabilities in some fields like music, mathematics etc and can do exceptionally well in the society. Awareness in the society is very important especially among the teachers and parents of other children because these children often have to face discrimination from their peers and society. It is important to know the difference between intellectual disability (mental retardation) and autism. A child with autism can have supranormal IQ. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree you are definitely not doing the right thing. Let’s end the stigma and spread the awareness.

– Dr. Rahul Mathur

Assistant professor of psychiatry

Consultant Child Psychiatrist

Anand Neuropsychiaty Clinic