THE EDITOR: The recent tragic deaths of neonates at the Port of Spain General Hospital have been brought to the forefront of our attention and highlighted all over the media. I express my heartfelt condolences to all the families of those babies who are no longer with us.
There is an unseen crisis unfolding within our midst. No one is dying but families are suffering silently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was 0.67 per cent of children in the year 2000 and has now risen to three per cent of children. This represents a five-fold increase over the last two decades.
We do not know the specific cause for the rise in ASD but environmental factors are suspected. Preventative measures cannot be implemented unless we know the factors causing the rise in ASD. Based on the current trajectory, ASD will continue to rise.
As a country are we prepared for the rising numbers of children and adults with ASD. There is urgent need for training of more physicians skilled to assess children with developmental concerns. There is urgent need for speech therapy and occupational therapy to be offered through the healthcare system. Families should not have to pay out-of-pocket for speech therapy and occupational therapy.
Speech therapists are being trained at the University of the West Indies and occupational therapists at the University of the Southern Caribbean. Graduates need to be encouraged to work in the public sector.
Educational supports with greater inclusion in mainstream public schools are needed. The number of teacher aides needs to be increased. Psych educational assessments should be consistently provided through the education system. Families should not have to pay out-of-pocket for private schooling for children with ASD.
There should be government remedial and special schools available to children with ASD where needed. The Disability Assistance Grant should not be restricted to only severe disability; the grant should be available to all families who need assistance to access services not provided through the public system.
TT has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There is an extremely urgent need to be proactive in bolstering the services needed for children with ASD and other developmental conditions. We have a moral obligation to improve services.
Children with autism and developmental conditions deserve equity. We need to be proactive and not just reactive when issues are highlighted through the media. Autism spectrum disorder in children and adults is a growing public health concern and services must be bolstered to meet the population needs.
DR PRITHIVIRAJ BAHADURSINGH
community paediatrician
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