Awareness on early autism signs grows

Ahmedabad: Samarth, 17, a teen with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a confident child who actively participates in games and other activities at the BM Institute of Mental Health. But his journey over the years has been of understanding and resilience from his parents — his father, Sanket Christian, says that when Samarth missed his developmental milestones, they became aware of his condition, and it took three doctors to diagnosis it as ASD."We often ignore the signs and also want our kids to be ‘normal', but now there is much more awareness. My request to all is to ensure the earliest intervention possible for better outcomes for children," said Christian on Thursday. "Today, Samarth has developed a strong interest in drawing and singing." Thursday marked International Autism Awareness Day as several organizations in the city held awareness events involving students and parents. This year's theme is ‘Autism and Humanity — Every Life Has Value'. At Blind People's Association (BPA), it was a celebration of student Ali Masood Raza, 15, who recently secured two gold medals in mini javelin and softball throw at the National Athetic Championship for Autism held in Patna. He had secured a bronze in the 2024 edition. BPA officials said that it is important to identify the talent of children with ASD and nurture them. "The need of the hour is to move beyond awareness, and create platforms that recognize and celebrate the abilities of children with ASD. We also reach out to parent groups for early identification and intervention," said Rajul Mallik, director of BM Institute of Mental Health.