Coimbatore: Six months after a national study found that one in 100 children under the age of 10 in India have autism, intervention experts say parents of autistic children should undergo special training to engage and handle them. They also caution parents against trying to send autistic children to normal playschools and schools, before their development reaches a certain stage A study led by INCLEN Trust International found that 1% of children under the age of 10 in India have autism. “Most of them are diagnosed between two and four years of age, usually by psychiatrists rather than pediatricians, which is more ideal,” head therapist and founder at Autism and Beyond Deepa Malini said. “It is important for parents to find the right intervention or specialized centre after their child is diagnosed with autism,” she said. “Though most parents notice symptoms even before the child is one-year-old, they are in denial mode. The minute the child utters a few words, they put them in playschools which regresses them,” she added. “Parents should also know that occupation therapy is the only way to handle the disorder. There is no evidence of any other way. They often delay seeking therapy by trying out other wrong treatments,” the head therapist at The Mind, Kala Rajagopal, said.Principal of Amrit Centre for Special Needs Nalini Jayaprakash agrees that mainstreaming should not be the goal of working with autistic children. “We have 14 autistic children, but they socialize beautifully and speak. But it takes time. The focus should be on allowing them to develop on their own pace. They will have limitations, but they can become citizens contributing to society if worked with,” Jayaprakash said. “It requires dedication and commitment though,” she added.Autism experts say children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) basically find it process stimulus and respond accordingly. “For many of them colours can be huge disturbance, some can’t bear to be touched or even hear a noise like fan running above them. We have to take them to a complete stimuli free room, figure out what the child enjoys doing and what disturbs them and start engaging them,” Malini said. “Such individual attention, a mainstream playschool or school often can’t give,” she added.They also stress on the need for parents to undergo special training in handling their child. “In centres or special schools, we keep the children for only four to six hours. But parents are there throughout the day. If they know how to engage the child, it can hugely impact a child’s development,” Malini said. “Parents should start by finding out what the child is happy to do, even if it’s a small, simple thing, and let them do it. They should be educated and empowered on how to manage the condition,” Jayaparakash said.

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