Taking care of autism caregivers

On an invitation from the ICDDR,B, this scribe attended a dissemination seminar on Autism: Assessment of mental health status among caregivers of children with autism and feasibility of creating a community-based support system in Bangladesh. A team of the ICDDR,B presented its research findings followed by a panel discussion and interaction with the audience.

The research team conducted a survey among 388 mothers who had an autistic child of at least 3 years of age and were enrolled in a special school located in Dhaka City between May and June 2015.  The survey did not include Chittagong and other cities, let alone the rest of the country. The audience as well as the research team leaders were conscious of the limitations of the study which among others included inadequate time and the sample size. Despite limitations, this sampling does provide a representative picture of the various difficulties and problems faced by the afflicted children and their mothers.

It need not be emphasised that parents of autistic children in our country are life-long caregivers. There is thus the crucial need for them to be trained and organised in a befitting manner so as to enable them to look after the welfare of their unfortunate children. The parents, mothers in particular, of autistic children of different age groups undergo various stresses, bear psychological and economic burden which are also to be duly recognised while suggesting guidance or rendering them training. The national print media has been highlighting the importance of required care for these children as well as their needs as they grow up. It is a matter of great encouragement that Ms Saima Hossain, Chairperson of Global Autism-Bangladesh took up this initiative on a national scale in 2011, which brought about the present level of awareness about autism in Bangladesh.

The seminar, besides disseminating the research findings, distributed useful materials together with local publications which hopefully will give adequate guidance to all who are involved with the process of improving the prevailing autism situation in the country and also to chart out appropriate course of actions and programmes at various levels. However, the important point is that there are variations in the nature of the manifested symptoms among the victims which make it all the more challenging for guiding their parents.

The dissemination seminar brought different issues into focus for which the ICDDR,B deserves special thanks. The statistical figures presented in the seminar conform, by and large, to our experiences and observations. However, the research results need further examination before adopting a parental module to support mothers.

    mqislambd@ hotmail.com