‘Asia needs own mechanism for autism’
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Global autism advocate Saima Wazed Hossain Putul urged the Asian nations to develop culturally sensitive tools to manage growing cases of neuro-development disorders.
Saima Wazed, also the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and chair of the Advisory Committee for Autism and Neuro-developmental Disabilities in Bangladesh, suggested Asian countries to make concerted efforts to find a suitable mechanism to manage autism, report BSS/bdnews24.com.
"Asian countries were too dependent on western modules and therapies. But they should make concerted efforts in finding a locally-designed and effective indigenous mechanism and diagnostic to manage autism that is appropriate for our culture," Saima Wazed expressed her views when she held bilateral meetings with Malaysian Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Rohani Binti Abdul Karim on April 21 and Minister for Health Dr S Subramaniam on April 22 at their offices on the sidelines of an international seminar on autism, according to a message received Saturday.
During the meetings, Saima Wazed also exchanged views on the possibilities of knowledge sharing in the fields of autism management and education for autistic children between Bangladesh and Malaysia.
Both the Malaysian ministers expressed their readiness to cooperate with Bangladesh in this regard.
Saima Wazed also highlighted the need for advancement of Bangladesh in the intervention initiative since autism was not even a vocabulary and a few years back families with autistic children were stigmatised.
She expressed Bangladesh's keen interest to join the autism initiative and cooperate with Permata Kurnia in the forthcoming programme of international intervention for autistic children.
Saima Wazed joined the seminar on April 22-23 at Putrajaya as the special representative of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak opened the seminar on April 22 in a colourful and joyous atmosphere where a choir of autistic children presented a spectacular cultural function alongside other performers.