Salwan Montessori School under the banner of Navtika organised a session on Autism Awareness-From knowing to accepting in a virtual mode on 26th April 2023. The resource person for the session was Ms. Neena Wagh founder of ALAP (Assisted living for Autistic persons).  Ms Sona Gombar,in her opening address spoke about the significance of autism month and the need for autism awareness in India. She also stressed on inclusivity and stated that the aim of equity and inclusion is now at the heart of NEP 2020.Ms Gombar further added that according to WHO, we are facing a rapid rise in autism cases, and it needs immediate attention. If it is ignored or not given attention, then every child’s future in a few hundred will be bleak. Early identification of children who are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities is very crucial for timely intervention. 

Ms Neena Wagh, the Key Speaker, shared her views about what autism is and what are the red flags for early interventions. She stated that autism is a developmental disorder which affects 1 in 250 on an average all over the world. Although the figure varies from country to country but by and large it is currently the biggest challenge that the world is facing. However, due to the lack of awareness of the masses and the governments, no one is aware of its impact on people and the families affected by it. She stated that Autism is not a ‘visible’ condition, since the person affected doesn’t have any physical deformity, however it impairs the ability to communicate and interact, which limits their social interaction resulting in lifelong dependency on their caregivers. 

The first step mentioned by her for working in this direction is to watch out for visible red flags. Like keeping a check on the developmental milestones, speech, eye contact, delayed language, cognitive and motor skills and many more. She apprised the attendees with her life experiences as a mother of an autistic child and what drove her and made her so passionate about helping the autistic children and working for their betterment. She shared her personal incidents like how her child would not even recognise her and make eye contact with her for so long as per the age-appropriate milestones. She explained how lack of social support isolates the parent and the child from the mainstream as an inclusive education environment and options of vocational avenues are still very limited in our country. Because of the cost of various therapies and the burden of lifelong support, it becomes very daunting for any parent, whether coming from a middle-income group or from an economically weaker background, to fend for his child for the entire life span. The parent is constantly worried about the support system that would be required when they are no longer there to look after their special needs child. She mentioned that all the stakeholders, especially the teachers are the backbone of every organization. The teachers develop skills, concepts and behaviours related directly to the disability or challenges of students with additional requisites that should take place inside the school.  

Then the guest speaker, Ms Shilpi Awasthi, leading an NGA ‘Special Sathi’ was invited to share her journey as a parent who has been navigating through the joys and struggles of autism.