Breaking the Barriers of Shame

It took more than 60 million individuals diagnosed with autism for the world to wake up and recognize that this was a very serious education and health issue. In order to break the “barriers of shame,” the world remembered “World Autism Day” on April 2, 2008.

They say ignorance is bliss, in some cases it is downright pathetic. So, let us understand what Autism really looks like. Even for a professional, the answer's not always comprehensible. That's because autism isn't just one disorder. Instead, it's a spectrum disorder, a set of issues that can be mild, severe or anywhere between.

Autism is called a developmental disability because it starts during a child's developmental period -- before age 3, says the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). It causes delays or problems in the ways in which a child develops or grows. Children with autism may have high or low IQs. They may be chatty or silent, outgoing or shy, good or bad students. They may or may not have unusual talents. Some are easygoing, while others have severe behavior issues.

Autism does not recognize any particular group, ethnicity or boundary. In its own ironic way it cuts across all ubiquitous social barriers. Autism is a great leveler. According to NICHD, children with autism have difficulty with both verbal and unspoken communication. They also have problems with routines and repetitive behaviors, sometimes repeating words over and over or obsessively following routines. Most children with autism also share delays in motor skills.

Unlike developed nations where awareness and understanding is slowly rising, autism is often equated with mental illness in other countries. It should not surprise the reader that individuals with autism are often housed with mentally ill patients in abject inhuman conditions. Parents who have children with this condition prefer to remain out of the social circuit for the fear of being ostracized.

In order to break this barrier of shame and drive home the message that autistic individuals are part of the social fabric, non-profit organizations like the Center for Social Change have come forward in not only creating awareness but setting up centers where individuals partake in activities designed to their abilities. In India in particular CSC has been able to break the myth that autism is a mental disease.

In declaring World Autism Day on April 2, 2008, the United Nations took the first step, it depends on us how we climb the rest of the stair case.

Learn more about our Autism Center:

• Overview
• Residential Habilitation
• Therapeutic Integration Services
• Family Training
• Intensive Individual Support Services