Behavioural therapy critical for autistic child

This was the message given by three parents who made presentations at the second annual conference of Association for Behavior Analysis at the India Habitat Centre here on Sunday.

Autism means a tendency in children to be alone. It is a neurological disorder in which children lack the natural ability to learn from their parents, peers and teachers. It appears in children below three years of age.

Autistic children are unable to learn even the basic daily activities. The cause of the disability is not known and there is no medicinal cure for autism. Treatment is through behavioural therapy.
 
In India, especially in Delhi, the treatment is provided by special schools that teach with traditional techniques with minimum involvement of parents.

But the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has proved to efficacious. “ABA  relies on a database of 50-60 years. So, an autistic child is not treated in isolation, rather on the basis of decades of collective experience,” said Dr Smita Awasthi, outgoing president of ABA-India.
Under ABA, parental involvement is mandatory.