Kolkata: People with autistic disorders need to be provided with skill training to get gainful employment besides being treated with empathy, feel many domain experts.
The World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year on April 2 after the United Nations General Assembly designated this day for the
purpose in 2007.
Globally, the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders is rising, with autism affecting one in 100 children according to WHO, Psychotherapist Minu Budhia said.
“The focus should be on skill building in a sensory-friendly environment with social communication training. Organisations need to create an inclusive autism-friendly workspace,” Budhia said.
Conditions such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities and learning disorders also impact millions, making neurodiversity far more common than we realise, Budhia said. Individuals on the autism spectrum do not need pity, she said, adding: “They need our understanding. Empathy to my mind means seeing their strengths, celebrating their abilities, and providing the right support to help the neurodiverse to thrive in a neurotypical world”.
Budhia, founder of Carring Minds International also said that as a mother to a special child, she witnessed the power of empathy firsthand. “Empathy fuels attitudinal shifts. When teachers, educational institutes, employers and society keep an open mind, individuals with autism can lead fulfilling lives on their terms,” she said. According to rehabilitation psychologist Amrita Panda, people living with autistic spectrum disorder should be imparted with vocational skill training to get gainful employment.
“These people should be treated with empathy and not sympathy”, it was
stated. With Agency inputs