Do more for those suffering autism: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all to give more scope to those with autism so that their intellectual faculties can flourish and they can contribute more to the society.

“They have latent talent. They should be given scope to flourish … to make some contribution to the society,” she said at a programme to mark the World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday.

Citing the examples of some famous autistic personalities like Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton, Hasina said, “Children with autism should not be neglected.”

“No one should be ignored,” she added.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by her government to raise awareness on autism, the prime minister said, “There was no such awareness among the people in the past. Parents used to hide that they have autistic children.

“But now things have changed and people are more aware.”

The government was trying to bring the children with impairments to the mainstream of the society, she said.

Hasina promised to constitute a trustee board with an allocation of Tk 31 billion to safeguard those with neuro-developmental impairment.

“This will be done so that the autistic people are not neglected even if the government changes,” she said.

The prime minister then went on to highlight different measures taken by her government to improve the condition of people with autism in Bangladesh.

Free schooling is provided to the special children at the Jatiya Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation and an academy for autism and neuro-developmental disorder would be established, she added.

“A total of 103 One Stop Service Centres for the disabled have been set up in 64 districts … About 2.4 million people have so far availed services at these centres.”

“A number of special schools are being set up across the country, and academic materials and therapeutic and counselling services are being provided to the special children free of cost,” Hasina continued.

She also recalled the role of her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, chairperson of Global Autism Public Health Initiative in Bangladesh, in raising awareness on autism across the world.

“It was on her behest that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on addressing the socio-economic needs of individuals and families affected by autism.”

After the programme, Hasina spent some time with the special children present at the programme.