Autism is different ability, not a disability

April 2 is the day to resolve to continue to push for better understanding, education, healthcare and opportunities for those 18 million people in India who are identified as autistic. Latest surveys estimate the autism population at world level to be beyond 62 million.

The first World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) was observed on April 2, 2008, a quarter after the United Nations General Assembly, with intent to emphasise the need for improved education, employment opportunity and social integration for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disability (ASD), declared April 2, as WAAD in December 2007.

The day has gained significant momentum, with varieties of events, initiatives and campaigns being organised globally to remind all stakeholders that autism is not a disability but a different ability that necessitates understanding, comprehension and acceptance.

Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ has been declared as the official theme for WAAD 2025.

Necessarily a genetic disorder manipulated through undesirable mutations and aberrations in certain genes linked to brain development and synaptic function of nerves, autism is a condition that affects behavioural elements, namely, interaction and communication. Severity and type of symptoms can vary among individuals, some of whom may need extensive skilled support while others lead normal independent lives with minimal assistance from amateurs.

Medical experts including psychiatrists, neurologists and genetic researchers believe that incidences of autism had been increasing during past decades but awareness level too has improved accordingly.

Dr Anshu Gupta, a renowned psychiatrist, said the lifestyle of a mediocre victim of the disorder can significantly be improved with supplementation of pharmaceutical treatment with non-pharmaceutical management if the disability is diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Ignoring earlier symptoms and leaving the victim at the mercy of nature can prove to be a curse for autistic individuals and the family, cautioned Gupta, recommending that services of a consultant should be availed as soon as possible.

Impaired social communication, avoiding eye contact, slower response to social cues, trouble in understanding emotions, stereotypical repetitive behaviour, over or under-reactivity to sounds, lights, textures and other stimuli; have been identified as main symptoms of the disorder.