Bengaluru: Three-year-old Yasseer was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is secondary to Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). It took a lot of tests from various centres for his parents to believe that their youngest son was Autistic.
"His gross and fine motor skills were poor and, in fact, it was affecting his daily chores and making him dependent on his parent for his daily needs. He also displayed sleep disturbances and was unable to calm down during bedtime. He showed very little or no interest in other children in his environment," explains his treating doctor Dr Vidyasagar Kancharapu, Founder, Director, Cornerstone Therapy Solutions.
He says that since the parents were in shock, they were educated about the condition of Autism and were informed about the necessity of early intervention of all the therapies and its benefits. After a multipronged approach, Yasseer seems to be on a positive trail. "It's been a year since we have provided Yasseer with services and his mother reported that he was showing interest towards other children in his apartment and at school. He maintains good interaction by maintaining eye contact. He has begun using two to three words combination at a phrase level. He is calmer. It is extremely important to start intervention at the earliest and parents need to let go of inhibitions and stigma," he stresses.
Sadly, children with Autism do face various barriers to timely treatment. Dr Gitanjali Natarajan, a clinical psychologist, says, "The concerns associated with stigma often prevent a parent from getting the assessment done. These problems call for greater awareness and accessibility for specialised services. There is also a need for increased sensitivity among primary health care providers to detect developmentally challenged children and refer them to specialised services. A number of specialists and institutions that are equipped to manage autism are very few in the country. Parents often find themselves directionless and frustrated when trying to access good treatment and aftercare for their child with autism."
