Imlisanen Jamir
Raising awareness of commonly misunderstood issues, and particularly when those issues are of public health pertinence, is incredibly important. One such condition is Autism, an illness that is continuously either misrepresented, misunderstood or not highlighted at all.
The United Nations has declared April 2 as World Autism Day, and the whole month of April is designated as Autism Awareness Month.
A general definition of Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and non-verbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. The challenges faced by those suffering from the condition are varied, thus prompting the use of the word ‘Spectrum.’
A study by the Centre for Autism at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom estimates that roughly 23 of every 10,000 children in India have autism. This rate, about 0.23 percent, is far less than the 1.47 percent in the United States, according to the study conducted last year.
Even though autism prevalence is low in India, the condition still represents a significant problem. 0.23 percent of 1.3 billion people in the country is still a large number.
Awareness on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is still severely lacking in the country, and more so in states like Nagaland. Inability of parents and guardians to identify early symptoms of the condition and seek early professional help is one reason. Another is the stigma and ‘shame’ associated with anything to do the challenges faced by people with such conditions.
The Morung Express published a feature on April 2, narrating the story of two mothers and their children who have faced these challenges first hand. Their stories are representations of what could possibly be a considerable number of families. Their struggles and their perseverance to confront those struggles in an informed and holistic manner must serve as inspiration to push for concrete public policy towards strengthening awareness and treatment for conditions like ASD.
Institutions like the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) do exist as avenues where conditions like ASD can be diagnosed, understood and tackled. But they are too few and far between.
The requirement here is educating and raising awareness first—but that is only the first step. The steps that follow raising awareness are critical—developing or empowering public agencies to make available the proper tools for those suffering from the condition and their families.
As much as ASD is on the fringes of health discourse in Nagaland, and in fact whole country, its effects are real, which require intelligent and sensitive approaches to deal with.
With Autism awareness month underway this April, let us reaffirm this year’s United Nations theme towards committing ourselves to “promote the full participation of all people with autism, and ensure they have the necessary support to be able to exercise their rights and fundamental freedoms."
