Empowering children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder
October 2014
By Celine Woznica
Last month Celine Woznica, Director of Child to Child Americas, was part of a delegation of experts in the rights of children with disabilities and attended the launch of the Global Initiative on Autism (GIA), in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
In this photo, from left to right, are: Sheffali Gulati MD (All India Institute of Medicine); Michael Klag MD MPH (Dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health); (half-hidden) Muzharul Mannan MD (Executive Director Global Autism Bangladesh); Merry Barua (Action for Autism-India); Hasnah Toran PhD (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia); Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Saima Hossain (chair of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh); Lilian Mayo PhD (Centro Ann Sullivan in Lima, Peru); Celine Woznica DrPH (Child to Child of the Americas) and Evelyn Cherow PhD (Global Partners United).
The increasing rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder* (ASD) worldwide indicates a need for a global response that is innovative, sustainable, and reflective of the reality of low-resourced countries where the professional and civil infrastructure does not exist to address the needs of autistic children.
In September 2014, a Global Initiative on Autism (GIA) waslaunched in Bangladesh calling for a “planned and coordinated approach that incorporates ASD services within existing educational, health, employment, social and developmental programmes of countries.”
The plan had to be creative, however, in recognition of poorer nations’ less-developed infrastructure, shortage of trained professionals, and lack of research and evidence-based interventions.
Children can empower one another
Because children are more accepting than teenagers and adults, they play a unique role in helping other children and adults with disabilities, including those affected with autism. Only children can be to another child what all children seek – a playmate.
Child to Child’s 6-step methodology has been implemented in various countries involving children with and without a disability. In addition to developing close friendships, children have helped other children physically get to school and assisted them with their assignments.
Children learn to celebrate the “different abilities” of all children, with all the children as active participants in implementing Child to Child activities.
One of the storyboards created by the Young Adults of Grupo SALTO, emphasising acceptance of people who are different. In this case, it is a giraffe with a short neck and an elephant with just one tusk.
The example of Grupo SALTO in Chicago, USA
An example of applying Child to Child methodology to promote the social well-being and empowerment of children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder is taking place in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Grupo SALTO is a non-profit organisation founded by immigrants from Latin America whose mission is to support, educate, and advocate for Spanish-speaking families with children on the ASD.
Bilingual Young Adults on the ASD were trained in Child to Child methodology and in turn, worked with younger children on the ASD and their siblings to address social integration issues such as bullying at school. Grupo SALTO’s Young Adults are now sharing their experiences and working to disseminate the programme to other areas.
A global plan for children with disabilities
Child to Child’s unique niche in addressing the needs of children with disabilities by empowering them to work alongside non-disabled children for full participation in community life was recognised by the invitation to participate in the launching of the Global Initiative on Autism.
Ms. Saima Hossain, member of the WHO Advisory Panel on Mental Health and Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh.
The launch followed the “Global Action Plan for Autism and Neuro-Developmental Disorders” workshop held in Dhaka which was co-chaired by Ms. Saima Hossain, a member of the WHO Advisory Panel on Mental Health and chair of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh and Dr. Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Child to Child looks forward to being an active partner in this exciting initiative to address autism and other neuro developmental disorders at the grassroots level. When children of all abilities work together, they can change the world.
More commonly known as “autism,” the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and form relationships with other people. The word “spectrum” means that there are different levels of the disability, with some individuals more affected than others. Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that the prevalence of autism is increasing globally, affecting 1 in 160 children. Recent studies in the US and other countries place the rate of occurrence as 1 in 65 children. Autism not only limits the life potential of the affected individual, but also causes significant impact on the family’s social, economic, and emotional wellbeing.