A Study of Current Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder in India

Background: There are multiple practices and various interventions currently available in India claiming to help treat a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The social structure and support from school do not integrate and accommodate a child with ASD in the mainstream. They are often sent to special schools and treated like a child with an intellectual disability. The government of India has many schemes for children with autism and their families but to avail these facilities, they need to have a disability certificate. Currently there is no specific disability certificate for children with autism, still they can opt for a disability certificate in the category of Autism with Mental Retardation. Method: This study encompasses details of interventions currently being practiced in India and highlights the lack of a structured intervention program resulting in high disability in these children. For this purpose, a telephonic interview was conducted with 20 organizations in a different part of India. Out of which seven of those organizations submitted details of their diagnostic pathways, short term and long-term results and problems they faced. Result: The results showed that out of seven organizations only 2 of them used standard diagnostic tools like ADOS-2 and ADI-R, and rest of the 5 organizations were just using screening tools. Lack of uniform application of fully validated and translated autism diagnostic tools makes it difficult to estimate the exact prevalence of diagnosis in Autism in India. On the basis of data given by the 7 organizations, only one organization presented their long-term data of 5 years in which their results were 90% successful integration into mainstream or independent life. Out of the rest 6 organizations, only two of them presented their short-term results and one of the among them presented a case study of 3 children in which they were using sensory integration. Most of the organizations agreed that the main problem they face is that with the use of various interventions, they were only able to control the symptoms for a period of time, and another problem faced was that the parents of these kids keep moving from one therapy center to another due to which they were not able to see long term results of the interventions provided by them. Conclusion: based on the findings of the study it can be concluded that in India, there are many interventions available still 90% of the organizations are not able to publish their short- or long-term results. There is a little hope for these children and there is a need for a program with clear outcome-based intervention. The program needs to be near to their house as these are long term problems and like western countries, the school needs to invest in adapting to the needs of these children and provide early year support. Some of these children are naturally gifted and the government needs to adapt the curriculum so these talented individuals do not go wasted in society.