World Autism Awareness Day, observed on April 2nd, aims to promote understanding and acceptance of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about autism. For many, autism is still a relatively misunderstood condition, with varying levels of awareness across generations. ApEx spoke to three people to find out how aware they are about this condition.
Amos Bhomjan, 22
Autistic people are differently abled but they also have extraordinary capabilities. I came to know about autism when I was really young but I don’t exactly remember how and when. I think that the current generation is aware about autism but the older generation didn’t understand it much and thus there were many myths about it. I once attended a seminar where a pediatrician was talking about autism with a group of parents. I think the medical fraternity is trying hard to make people understand what it is and how to deal with it and that’s a good start.
Aayushma Bhattarai, 24
I heard about autism eight years ago, let’s say when I was 16-17 years old. But I started understanding it only a few years back. I don’t think people in Nepal really know what autism is. The younger generation who are educated and active on social media might know about it but the vast majority is still fairly unaware. I think people widely use social media these days so the best way to create awareness would be to use different online platforms. However there’s a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding in social media as well and that should be monitored wisely.
Rakesh Prajapati, 33
I was about 21 years old when I came to know about autism and I don’t think normally people know what autism is in Nepal. I have to admit that I came to understand it very late in life. And I must confess that till this date I’m not fully aware of what it is actually like. I think the school curriculum should include autism and awareness campaigns must be conducted among the senior or the middle aged citizens to make more people aware about it. This can help empower autistic people in the long run.
