World Autism Awareness Day
According to statistics, there is approximately 2,567 individuals in Brunei Darussalam diagnosed with autism, including children. The trend of autism cases seen by the Ministry of Health shows a 6-fold increase in diagnosing rates per year, compared to 10 years ago. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic, diagnosis of cases was made challenging and difficult for the Ministry as the Multi-disciplinary Team assessment clinic was unable to do face-to-face clinical assessments and majority of healthcare professionals were redeployed elsewhere outside the Child Development Centre.
The Minister of Health stated these during the Virtual Forum in conjunction with the 15th World Autism Awareness Day, yesterday morning. Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Doctor Awang Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar was also hugely encouraged by the growing public awareness of autism spectrum disorders in the country and the improvement in public and non-governmental services to many of those affected. Yang Berhormat explained, World Autism Awareness Day not only fosters greater understanding, it empowers parents and key stakeholders into seeking early intervention therapies for children and calls for the full integration of children with autism into society. With adequate and the right support and care, they can be educated in the heart of their communities.
With the theme, ‘Child Led: choosing the best programmes for your autistic child’, the forum was hoped to bring about more information for parents and care givers about their options and many different programmes available. The forum aimed to discuss the importance of early intervention and defining the term child led.
Source: Radio Television Brunei