Autism in India - The Challenges of Misdiagnoses

Numerous studies have placed the occurrence of autism at a rate of approximately 1 in 500 people. At India’s current population, this means there are an estimated 1.7 million autistic persons in the country, assuming that there are no significant variations in this rate worldwide, which is a question that has not yet been addressed by epidemiologists outside the West. While the disorder is not rare, the majority of autistic people in India have not been diagnosed and do not receive the services they need. The main reason for this is a lack of awareness and misunderstanding about autism among medical professionals, who may either misdiagnose or under diagnose the condition.

One of the major difficulties faced by parents of children with autism in India is obtaining an accurate diagnosis. A parent may take their child to a paediatrician only to be reassured that their child is just "slow." Unsatisfied, they may visit a psychologist, to be told their child is "mentally subnormal." Convinced that their child does not fit the typical picture of mental retardation, they may visit a psychiatrist, to be told that their child has attention deficit disorder, and must be put on medication to control hyperactivity. After months of sedation and unsatisfactory progress, they may again begin a cycle of searching for the correct name for their child’s problem.

It is therefore very likely that a dentist may find himself/herself treating an Austistic child when the parents are unaware of the condition. It is therefore necessary for the dentist to be able to recognize the symptoms of autism and be aware of the steps he/she may take to render optimal care to autistic individuals. It is similarly important for parents to know the symptoms their child may face, and be mentally prepared for a visit to the dentist.

Large parts of this post have been based on information made available free by the NGO action for autism. Readers can read more at http://www.autism-india.org/afa_autisminindia.html

DCSN does not endorse or take responsibilty for information provided by external sources; we have however verified the information in this post and find it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.