KARACHI: There is a dire need to raise awareness about autism in Pakistan, said speakers at a seminar on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Speakers noted that despite autism being the third most common developmental disorder in the world, incidence rates for autism in Pakistan were still not available. The speakers stated that Pakistan still considered physical disability, hearing disability, visual impairment and intellectual disability, as the only disabilities. “In contrast, there were now more than seventeen recognised disabilities in most of the developed countries,” said Autism Spectrum Disorder Welfare Trust (ASDWT) Chairperson Rukhsana Shah while addressing the seminar. The seminar was organised by ASDWT at IBA Karachi, in collaboration with Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui (MSJ) Foundation.
Sindh Secretary Special Education Dr. Zulfiqar Shallwani was the chief guest at the seminar attended by a large number of teachers of special and mainstream schools, doctors, parents, professionals and prominent members of the civil society.
Rukhsana Shah, also a mother of an autistic child, said even in the current climate, there were no specific columns to report the children suffering from autism. “There is a dire need to find prevalence rate of autism to prevent it in future,” she added.
She also spoke about the lack of awareness about autism and learning disabilities among doctors, teachers and parents all over Pakistan. However, she lauded the role of Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation who sponsored the setting up of the ASDWT in Lahore in 2015, and funded the Karachi centre, which opened October this year. In her speech, noted philanthropist Mahvash Jahangir Siddiqui gave a brief background of the work done by the MJS Foundation all over Pakistan.
Dr. Zulfiqar Shallwani enumerated the efforts of Sindh government for not only tackling autism, but all disabilities in general. He said that in April, the first autism centre was set up in Karachi at the existing Special Education Centre in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, while a separate state-of-the-art building was being constructed at the site. “A school for children suffering from learning difficulties is also being set up at the Korangi Centre of Special Education, while a similar facility is under consideration at Thatta. He added that in Nawabshah, the government was setting up a centre for Down’s syndrome and neurodevelopmental disorders in which medical colleges and hospitals would be involved to ensure sustainability and growth of the centre”.
The keynote address on autism was delivered by Dr Irum Rizwan, a pioneer in the field of autism in Karachi, who also runs the autism centre at Dow University of Health Sciences. This was followed by a presentation on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by Dr. Salma Khalil.
Asma Ahmed, a senior clinical psychologist, gave a detailed presentation on overview of management for persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She said children with ASD are smart and have extraordinary talents. “It is our responsibility to unlock their potential and polish their talents,” she concluded.
Later, Sanam Hafeez, an educator, shed light on learning difficulties and shared her experiences.
Published in Daily Times, October 20th 2017.
