Home / Health / Autism Care: Lifelong Support Needed, Experts Urge
Autism Care: Lifelong Support Needed, Experts Urge
12 Jul
Summary
- Autism care must extend beyond childhood interventions into adulthood.
- Experts convened at Autism Odyssey 3.0 to discuss lifelong support.
- Integrated systems are vital for education, employment, and independent living.
Experts at Autism Odyssey 3.0, an international conference in Hyderabad, stressed the critical need to extend autism care beyond early childhood interventions. The two-day event, organized by the Child Development Centre at Rainbow Children's Hospital, focused on the understanding that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental condition requiring continuous support.
The conference advocated for integrated systems that seamlessly support autistic individuals across their entire lives. This includes assistance with education, employment opportunities, building relationships, achieving independent living, and navigating the ageing process, always keeping families as the core support unit.
Dr. Pratima Giri, a developmental pediatrician, underscored the necessity for robust, collaborative frameworks. She called for multidisciplinary teams involving health, education, vocational services, policymakers, and NGOs to create a comprehensive roadmap for sustained autism care within communities.
