Autism is on the rise. According to the World Health Organisation, at least one in 100 children is affected by autism right now. In contrast to the rising incidence and prevalence, services have not yet been developed to cater to the bare minimum needs of autistic children.
In this context, the Department of Psychiatry, in collaboration with the Department of Education (Northern Province) and Mathavam, the centre for neurodevelopmental disorders (www.mathavam.org), conducted an introductory training workshop on autism for a group of special education teachers in May 2023.
The training workshop for the second batch of special education teachers attached to the Education Ministry of the Northern Province was held on the 14th and 15th of December 2023 at the Faculty of Medicine. Ten multi-disciplinary professionals, consisting of academic professors, clinicians, and experienced therapists, contributed as resource persons. After this workshop, teachers are placed at Mathavam for two weeks in small groups. This placement will help the teachers enhance a range of skills needed to help autistic children.
