New study highlights importance of educating & training for children with autism

A new study by American researchers reiterates the importance of offering education and training to children with autism. It says children who receive this show less pronounced traits when compared to their peers on the spectrum.

Awareness about the importance of giving equal opportunities in education to children with disabilities is growing. Advances in technology and availability of trained educators has improved the scenario to a limited extent in the urban milieu.

This is critical as various studies have shown that with education and training, children with developmental disorders like autism have overcome the symptoms considerably.

A new study in the United States emphasises this once again. It says it is important to enable a child on the spectrum to become independent and that with the right guidance such children can do well in life.

Pratibha Bhatnagar, whose 27-year-old son Akshay has autism, strongly agrees with these findings. She believes that children with moderate or mild autism must be enrolled in regular schools.

I strongly feel that if the child has mild or moderate autism, then it is best to make them attend mainstream schools. My son is an ideal example as to how this can help. When a child attends such schools, they learn to socialise from their peers which is extremely important as children with autism lack social skills. Undoubtedly, all that benefits your child in many ways. –Pratibha Bhatnagar, parent to adult with autism

Parents, caregivers and trainers must be extremely careful about how the child receives and processes information provided. The American study looked at over one thousand children with autism to find out about their overall development and social communication skills. Children between one to three years showed remarkable improvement in certain skills. The study also emphasises the importance of regular assessments.

Archana Patil, who has a son with autism, says parents must be sensitive to the child’s strengths and work on developing those.

“I don’t believe that academic excellence is everything. If the child excels in cooking, dancing, singing or crafts, then the parent must help them focus on it. Any skills that helps them to improve is going to be great for the overall development of the child, she says.

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