Autism centre in Sindh

In another first for the country, a government-run autism centre and braille printing press were inaugurated at the Special Education Complex in Karachi this week. It is a significant step for those who suffer from autism or have hearing disabilities. Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviour, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. Experts say that there are several categories of autism for different levels of disability — caused by different combinations of genetic and environmental influences. There are about 350,000 autistic children in Pakistan, according to a local NGO’s research. In other words, one out of every 66 children is autistic in the country. What is worrisome is that this number is increasing with the passage of time. More important, little is being done to cater to their unique requirements.

The autism centre established by the Sindh government is a small step to address a big issue. But at least there is some effort on the part of the government to recognise that a large number of children are affected by autism and steps should be taken to cater to the needs and requirements of these children. As rightly pointed at the inauguration of the centre, civilised societies take care of their differently-abled people and provide them education, training and opportunities so that they can earn their living with ease. We need to be sensitive to the needs of such people and make sure we are able to provide an enabling environment for them. We need to work harder to address the needs of our differently-abled population. As things stand, the most basic requirements are not fulfilled. Despite the fact that we have all the government machinery to ensure there is compliance, there is criminal negligence when it comes to making sure an enabling environment is created. This is where the government has to step in and possibly start by conducting an exercise to assess the on-ground situation and then work accordingly.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2017.

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