Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH), Dr. Swarna Wijethunga says that the number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder is currently increasing daily.
She highlighted that a survey conducted in Sri Lanka in 2009 showed that one in 93 children was identified to have diagnosed with autism.
Dr. Swarna Wijethunga made these remarks while participating in a press conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau in view of with World Autism Awareness Day.
Commenting further, she said, “A survey conducted in 2009 showed that one in 93 children in Sri Lanka had this condition. After that, the survey was not conducted systematically. Now it has been restarted, and we will get a different result. Because there is an increasing trend worldwide, we feel that the number of children who come to us in Sri Lanka with this disease is increasing day by day.”
Dr. Wijethunga also emphasized the importance of early identification and added that if autism is detected at an early stage, with intervention within two and a half to five years, 90% of these children can make significant progress.
In addition, Community Health Specialist at the Child and Family Health Bureau, Dr. Asiri Hewamalage pointed out that the contribution of parents is also necessary in identifying children with autism and other neurological disorders.
