3 days Ago
Prayagraj: The Allahabad Child Development Centre (ACDC) has partnered with the Centre of Behavioural & Cognitive Sciences (CBCS) of Allahabad University to conduct a two-day masterclass and workshop on autism , which began on Saturday at CBCS. Noted child psychiatrist Dr Chhitij Srivastava and the paediatrician from ACDC Dr Alka Srivastava along with Prof Bhoomika R Kar, head of CBCS, put together a training programme for parents who have children with autism and professionals working in this field. The resource person for this workshop is Dr RS Bagga, a renowned consultant occupational therapist from "Therapy for Ability," a centre for Autism in New Delhi.
Around 70 people, including parents, psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and special educators, are attending this workshop. It focuses on hands-on training in proven therapeutic skills for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders . "Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a gradually increasing prevalence in the last two decades.
It currently affects around 1% of the population, and more recent studies have estimated an even higher prevalence," said Prof Kar. Children affected by autism have difficulties in social communication and interaction, along with a pattern of repetitive behaviour and interests, she added. A significant percentage of these children also have sensory issues, which may manifest as both hyper and hypo reactivity to routine sensory stimuli.
On one end of the spectrum, some individuals are completely dependent on others while on the other, there are people who can even excel professionally, even though they continue to have some social difficulties. The first day of the workshop started with an introduction to autism and sensory issues in autism and how occupational therapy addresses such issues. The afternoon session began with a talk on neurodiversity, neuroplasticity, and autism by Bhoomika R Kar.
The second day will focus on therapeutic strategies..
