Akshara P Kamath | Centre for Rights of Differently-Abled (Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad) | 6th November 2019
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which is broadly known as “Autism” is considered as a multifactorial disorder which is caused due to the neurodevelopment disorders as a result of genetic, non-genetic risks and its interactions of public importance. it is diagnosed in the first three years of life itself by body gestures, nonverbal interactions such as reduced eye contact, facial expression. There is prevalence of Autism in India. It is found that 1 among 100 children in India is suffering from Autism and one among them will have at least one neurodevelopment conditions, which shows that as many as 2.2 million children and 13 million adults in India are having Autism. The estimated neurodevelopment condition is about 10 times higher than 2011 census which was about 1.3%.
Merry Baruah who is founder of an NGO namely Action for Autism (AFA) which one of the earliest NGOs working with this says that “Earlier, all forms of mental, intellectual and developmental disabilities were clubbed under the same umbrella of mental retardation. Today, accurate and early diagnosis helps us recognise autism in a child even before they are 18 months old”.
ASD is included under the disability category of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 which recognises the rights of people with disability which includes equality and to prevent the discrimination against them. Certain guidelines are notified by the Government for issuing the certificate such evaluation of disability. They can avail many benefits from the certificate such as scholarships, concessions, educational assistance, self-employment assistance and so on.
There is need for improving the awareness on ASD for smoothening early detection and to help the families which are impacted due to this. in early identification, diagnosis and management Socio-cultural factors has a major role. People suffering from ASD have an increased risk on suicide attempts and many are not aware of this and this must be researched on to find solutions. Health, education and social sector, policies must be improved for the persons with ASD to achieve their potential and dignity which will help in reducing the gap between them and the normal people.
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