People with conditions need special attention

Lack of awareness among general people, social stigma, and discriminatory attitudes are the key reasons for compounding of the sufferings of people with communication disorders, autism expert Saima Wazed Hossain said yesterday.

The chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh shared the observations at the launching ceremony of the communication disorders department of Dhaka University, in an auditorium of Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.

Such speech and language impaired people need special attention from peers, she said. "Along with it a massive countrywide awareness campaign based on scientific knowledge can lead to a change in their lives.”

Saima said the impaired people were no less than any other person in terms of intellectual capacity.

Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique and Chairman of the dept Prof Hakim Arif also spoke.

The department started last year with a master's programme. The graduate programme was launched this academic session.