First Ladies Voice Views On Autism At International Seminar

By Norfarhana Ahya Arip PUTRAJAYA, April 23 (Bernama) -- First Ladies from five countries took the stage in Malaysia's administrative capital Tuesday, to share autism-related initiatives and experiences to help autistic children and eradicate social stigma. The women from Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyz Republic, Albania and Morocco shared their views and experiences from the perspective of their respective countries during a special session, 'Voices of First Ladies' at the 2014 International Seminar on Autism in Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). The Albanian president's wife, Odeta Nishani said the Children Albanian Foundation was currently working out to develop and implement a more modern centre for autism in that country. She said the foundation, which was aimed at creating an awareness campaign and supporting austistic children for three months, had offered and provided special care to 88 autistic children suffering from various problems in the past five years. Nishani hoped autism could be viewed more openly if the international society wanted a brighter future for autistic children. Dr Raisa Atambaeva, wife of the Kyrgyz Republic president, said about 0.04 per cent of over 10,000 children in her country were autistic, adding that they had been provided with special medical assistance, including speech theraphy, medical and educational. "I believe that the intermediate dialogue between ministerial levels and foundations will be helpful in determining the best care for autistic children," she noted. Atambaeva also said it was important to organise specific centres for autistic children based on government framework, as it enabled them to obtain, among others, inclusive education and be part of early intervention efforts. The Morocco prime minister's wife, Nabila Benkirane urged that new strategies be provided to give special care to autistic children in the future. She raised concern over the lack of autism knowledge among the public, saying society's ignorance would cause autistic children lagging behind. Nabila said Marocco had organised many campaigns and used many ways to educate society on autism because those under the autism category also had rights to contribute in economic and social sectors. The Sudanese president's wife said Sudan had preceeded the international agreement on human rights by issuing a national law in 2009 for persons with special disabilities. "The Sudan Government has paid to employ people with disabilities to be involved in social, economic as well as in political fields," said Fatima Khalid Al Bashir. The Sri Lankan president's wife, Shiranthi Rajapaksa said children afflicted with autism should be nurtured with professional care and attention to enable them to be more confident and independent. She said parents or caretakers should identify the children's skills that needed to be developed because some of them might have special talents. "Let us work together, especially in education and social activities. The family of autistic children should know that they are not alone and need not suffer in silence," she said. Rajapaksa stressed that creating awareness was an important step to treat the condition, as well as assisting families to cope with it. She pointed out the need to hire well-trained teachers for autistic children and provide special equipment for their learning process. -- BERNAMA