Find out their strengths, Stephen Shore tells Bangladesh parents of autistic children

Stephen Shore, who is well known for relating his life to the many challenges facing people on the autism spectrum, has urged parents to find out strengths of their autistic children.

He was speaking in Dhaka at a Shuchona Foundation event on Friday.

Saima Wazed Hossain, the US-licensed school psychologist and daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leads the not-for-profit endeavour.

Better known by her nickname Putul in Bangladesh, she spearheads the autism campaign here as Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopment Disorders.

During the interaction with the parents, Shore called for considering autism from a “strength-based model rather than a disability angle”.

He asked parents to help children find out their strengths and difficulties, and support them to use their strengths to overcome the challenges.

Despite diagnosed as autistic as a child, Shore completed his PhD from Boston University and is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Adelphi University.

He is also well known as a writer for inspiring people to be successful in their life.

A select group of parents of the persons with autism spectrum disorder, ASD, experts and government representatives were present at the Suchona Foundation’s talk.

Shore told them the first step forward should be “acceptance”.

“For advocating for oneself, one needs to be aware of the difficulties,” he said, stressing on the disclosure of the diagnosis of a neuro-development disorder such as autism.

But before that, he said it is also necessary for the parents to accept the diagnosis.

“Loving the children for who they are and how they are and also working towards their development are the key for the best outcome of these individuals,” he said.

Shuchona’s primary goal is to provide a new beginning for persons with mental health and neuro-developmental disorders so that they no longer feel excluded from society.