Docs need to be autism-aware This was highlighted at interaction between parents of autistic kids and health experts

Docs need to be autism-aware

This was highlighted at interaction between parents of autistic kids and health experts

There’s much need for awareness of autism among members of the medical fraternity. This was one of the highlights of a symposium organised in the city on Saturday. Health experts who were part of the panel, highlighted the need for timely diagnosis, in the absence of which parents are often made to run from pillar to post for their children’s treatment. This heartfelt interaction with a scientific touch to it was held between parents and experts during the symposium organised by SAI Child Development Centre in Khar. The theme of the discussion was ‘Developmental Disabilities in children: How much is enough?’ SAI (Support for Autistic Individuals) has, over the years, grown to become an oasis for parents of children with autism. The organisation, started for assessment and intervention of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, aims primarily at providing comprehensive assessment and intervention for children. It offers children and their parents a core team of specialists – paediatrician, neurologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and psychologist – under one roof. Dr Rashid Merchant, senior paediatrician at Nanavati hospital, who moderated the panel discussion, expressed the need for interaction between parents and health experts. “Parents are unable to immediately accept that their children suffer from some serious disease. Also, paediatricians need to know about such issues...” said Dr Merchant. “Although the incidence has been rising, not many paediatricians know about it.” Director of SAI Child Development Centre, Kamini Lakhani, said, “Paediatricians should pick up the problem in the early stages. Over the last four years that we’ve been focusing on relationship development intervention programme, we’ve found it helps children and parents. Also, such programmes help establish a good relationship in society.” Another issue which cropped up was the shortage of expertise in the field, which often results in parents having to run from one specialist to another, often compelling them to shell out hefty fees. This, said the panelists, is economically taxing which middle-class families can ill afford. “So, after taking treatment for some time, many eventually give up,” said one of the experts. Empathising with parents of the affected children, Dr Joytika Bijlani, a child development occupational therapist, sounded a note of caution. “Paediatricians should not hurry to label a child as having autism. They should handle such cases with caution as parents panic when they hear of this problem,” said Dr Bijlani. Health experts, she said, need to treat the symptoms step by step. “Gradually, parents also come around and accept the situation,” she said.