Speaking at a family breakfast held this morning at the Autism Centre to mark World Autism Day, First Lady Fazna Ahmed spoke about the importance of turning to the various support groups devoted to assisting those with autism spectrum disorder as well as their parents and guardians, in order to be properly educated and up to date regarding the condition. During the event, the First lady inaugurated the Autism Association’s website and child screening program targeted for 100 children also being developed by the association.
Speaking at the ceremony the First Lady said that parents raising children who are on the autism spectrum face unique challenges and that in order to address them one of the best options is to turn to each other for assistance.
She further stated that a dignified life is a basic constitutional right accorded to all citizens and that those who find difficulty in meeting the needs of their own accord because of a condition or ailment were entitled to positive action by the state. As such, she stated that the Maldives’ wider community have a moral obligation to ensure that individuals on the autism spectrum can live a normal life.
In this regard, the First Lady highlighted the importance of the work done by groups such as the Autism Association in ensuring a reasonable quality of life for individuals with autism and highlighted that it was imperative that the services they provide should be either freely available or at the very least easily affordable.
The First Lady additionally stated that as month of April is specially devoted to autism, people should take this month to reflect on the unique challenges faced by individuals on Autism Spectrum disorder and take the time to educate themselves about the condition.