When Dooye was three years old and his mother found that he had problem speaking and communicating, the mother rushed to different doctors, but they took long two years to identify it as Autism.
"Still I think, if it was diagnosed earlier, the chance of his improvement would increase", said Rokhsana Ahmed, mother of Dooye, who gave up her job only to spend time on her autistic child who is now six and a half years old.
Causes of autism are yet to be clearly known. Researchers, however, say abnormal birth presentations, foetal distress, birth injury or trauma, and maternal bleeding can play role in developing autism.
"I know some day science will be able to find out the reasons behind autism and its solutions. But we will not be there to see it", Rokhsana said.
But yesterday, she seemed so happy as she participated in the workshop on autism that will end today (Friday) at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in the city. The workshop follows an international conference on autism, which ended Tuesday.
Today's session will be participated by 230 psychologists, doctors, and students at the seminar room of BSMMU's Centre for Neurodevelopment Autism in Children. Saima Wazed Hossain, daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and chairman of the Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism, will be present there.
A total of 363 parents took part in yesterday's session where experts from abroad were present as resource persons.
"We have learnt many things from the workshop that include techniques to improve their speech, control their mood, engage them in work without annoying them or to make them study", she exclaimed.
Similar feeling swept over mothers of Pian, Amethy, Tawsif and many more. The parents of these autistic children are happy to see that more and more people now know about autism. They all felt this conference should have been held before so that they could learn these important things earlier.
As many therapists, doctors, teachers and psychologists are learning about autism in detail, the diagnosis and schooling of autistic children will be easier gradually, they expect.
Autism is a complex developmental disability involving a biological or organic defect in the functioning of the brain, said AFMZ Haque, psychiatrist of CPC Behavioural Healthcare, USA.
"In the US where an estimated 1.5 million individuals are autistic, it is diagnosed at the age of 18 months normally", he said, adding that the education department takes care of these children and provides schooling in way that the autistic adult get suitable job. They make them to lead a quality life there, he said.
"In Bangladesh, autism issue must be taken care of by the ministries of health, education, and social welfare to reach a standard position. Otherwise, fragmented activities cannot help much".
Source : The Daily Star
