2 More Govt Facilities For Diagnosis & Therapy Of Children With Autism To Open In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to set up two more clinical facilities for diagnosis and therapy of children with autism.

This was revealed at a high-level meeting, held here on Saturday, to frame the road map for providing care to the children with autism. Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra and Development Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena along with senior officers of different departments attended the meeting while observing World Autism Day.

Two facilities, set up last year for diagnosis and therapy of children with autism, are operating at present. While one is located in Bhubaneswar, the other is in Sundargarh. Secretary, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma said two more facilities – one at Jajpur and the other at Berhampur – would be operationalised within a month.

The secretary said a survey, conducted to identify children with disability last year, identified around 40,000 such children. The figure remains dynamic as each day around 70 to 80 autistic children take birth.

It was decided at the meeting that year-wise survey would be conducted for identification and care of children with autism.