The Tamil Nadu government’s budgetary announcement that it would create a dedicated space for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with the Centre of Excellence for Persons with ASD at ₹25 crore, has enthused activists and educationists.
“There were repeated representations from parents for guidance regarding autism affected children and there was a need to fill that gap. The centre will provide all kinds of help from children to adults, including guiding their parents on ASD,” said a senior official from the Welfare of the Differently Abled Department. The centre will provide comprehensive services such as special education, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, vocational training, independent living skills, caregiver training and guidance to persons with ASD.
“In urban areas, there is some awareness about ASD and parents get their child diagnosed but in rural areas, it is lacking. There is also no data on autism affected children which the Centre for Excellence might help tackle,” the senior official added.
The centre will begin treating children aged 0-6 years, parents’ counselling and awareness counselling in Phase 1 of the project. Apart from age-specific rehabilitation, the centre will also ensure that the parents are equipped to handle and guide their children. Through One Stop Centres, the therapist will keep a check to mark their progress.
“The parents wonder what their children would do once they pass away, the centre hopes to equip them with skills to function independently. The establishment should begin functioning in about four months and would be expanded to include other ages as it picks up,” the official added.
Hailing the initiative, member of the Disability Rights Alliance Smitha Sadasivan stated that a centre for excellence for every disability should be established. “Every year an initiative to tackle new disability and disease is made the highlight, instead there should be a holistic way to tackle all of them,” she said and also added that social research must be conducted to identify means for differently-abled persons to live independently and with dignity.
Pointing out that the establishment should have been in a two-tier city, M. Ravichandran, of The Confederation for Persons with Mental Disabilities, said: “Such a centre in another city where it would benefit people from western and southern districts would have been very useful as there is already a National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities functioning in Chennai.”
