Grouping autistic children with other disabled children who are categorised for the absence of various mental or physical faculties could actually harm their growth and development.
“They are a group of people for whom the wiring in the brain has perhaps gone a little haywire,” says Biji Issac, the secretary of Autism Club, which is involved in creating awareness about the special condition.
An autistic child may not be identified at birth. Since brain development is part of developmental paediatrics after birth, an autistic child could actually begin to show a problem after one-and-a-half years, two years or even as late as three to four years.
Regression happens a little late, and the child who had reached normal milestones in the first year may start missing out on the later milestones. For parents, it is a difficult period as they find the child suddenly turning silent or not responding to his or her name or trying to avoid eye contact as they get older, getting unusually disturbed even at a slight change of routine and so on.
Autism Club, formed a year ago, has taken up the onus to help people understand autism as each case manifests differently.
As part of World Autism Day on Saturday, the club is organising an awareness programme at the Chavara Cultural Centre. Autism Voice, a newsletter, andwww.autismclubkerala.com, a website, will be launched on the occasion.
