"Although autism, a neuro-developmental disorder, is linked with early brain development, scientists have not yet completely pinned down a cause for the disorder," experts said. They were speaking at an awareness seminar held at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Tuesday. Dr Aniqa Haider, Head of Paediatrics department, Wapda Teaching Hospital Complex (WTHC), Lahore, in her address said, "Young people with autism are wonderful people.
They see life differently than we do. They are straight forward and need to do things in an orderly way. Parents or other people who work with these children need to have lots of tolerance, patience, empathy and understanding their needs. These children need structure and need to break activities down to smaller, more manageable tasks and if we can provide them that structure then they are great at doing things."
Dr Aniqa, who is also a mother of a child with this disorder, said that in Pakistan, parents whose children are diagnosed with autism have to grapple with challenges such as lack of awareness, a dearth of professional medical expertise, almost non-existent health care and, most of all, social stigma. These challenges lead to denial and the isolation.
She said, "Parents should never give up on the education of their child and should try to connect with other families or networks so they don't feel alone in this struggle." Majority of cases in Pakistan don't even get diagnosed. Doctors lack the expertise to diagnose autism and associated disorders and family members usually deny the existence of any brain-related disorder to avoid social stigma, Dr Aniqa maintained.
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