BANGLADESH

Saima Hossain Putul, daughter of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has once again invited global leaders to join her to bring smile to the autistic children and their families.

Reminding the 'responsibilities' of the people who are in 'unique' positions, the US-licensed school psychologist has also shed lights on the plights of families and children challenged by autism.

Putul, the chair of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism, was speaking at the Fourth Annual World Focus on Autism on Wednesday at The McCarton School in New York amid UN General Assembly.

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism research and advocacy organisation, brought together first spouses, health ministers and other special guests at the event, which is an ongoing effort to raise global awareness and share best practices for nations, communities and families struggling with 'non-discriminative' autism disorder.

Dignitaries from Albania, Bangladesh, the Ivory Coast, Brazil, Cyprus, Finland, Grenada, Jamaica, Japan, Lesotho, México, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Saint Martin, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United States, and Turkey heard Putul who also expressed her 'strong desire' to change the perception of mental health and neuro-developmental conditions in Bangladesh.

Ban Soon-taek, wife of the U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, was also present at the event hosted by the Autism Speaks' co-founders, Suzanne and Bob Wright.

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that robs one's social and communication skills.

Referring to the first-ever South Asian autism conference in Dhaka on July 25, Putul said launching of Autism Speak's Global Autism Public Health Initiative (GAPH) in Bangladesh was 'very well received'.

"Briefly, we formed the South Asia Autism Network (SAAN) and unanimously ratified the Dhaka Declaration on autism spectrum disorders."

Putul was the chief architect of the mega conference that brought together regional leaders including India's Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi.

She made appeal to all at the conference to join her in 'cooperation, collaboration and partnership' to bring smile to the autistic children.

After the conference, she had told bdnews24.com in an exclusive interview the conference was a 'biggest boost' for those working with disability and they garnered support from regional political leaders, experts and international institutions to generate greater awareness of autism.

During Wednesday's speech, she looked forward to many more opportunities for Bangladesh to partner with Autism Speaks to 'fully address the global public health crisis of autism.'

She said she always had a 'very strong' desire to change public perception of disability in Bangladesh, 'having had the opportunity to study psychology in the US and maintain close ties to my country.'

Portraying horrendous experiences of the autistic kids and their families, she said: "The lack of understanding, condemnation and personal guilt that parents with autism are made to experience, sometimes even by their own extended family members, deeply saddens and appals me.

"These misconceptions have to be changed.

"And everyone one of you here today are in a special position to make that change in your country.

"It is only by working together that we become more empowered and achieve great success."

Putul stressed building working partnerships between organisations and political leaders both within the country as well as regionally and internationally.

Building partnerships, Putul hoped can meet 'the daily challenges of those with fewer opportunities to become productive and independent members of society with the dignity and opportunities for a better life like the rest of us.'

The McCarton School provides an educational programme for children with autism by using an integrated one-to-one model of therapy grounded in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) combined with speech and language therapy, motor skills training and peer interaction.