Aamir Zulfiqar Khan
It is an unfortunate fact that by the time a child is diagnosed with autism, society in general, and families and schools in particular, have already passed judgement. Expectations narrow. Parents are made to feel as if it was their fault. Schools begin to prepare not for a student but for a problem child.
Parents are handed pamphlets and coldly told that their child is a difficult enterprise, issued warnings but offered no hope. In the majority of cases, institutions do not even attempt to fulfil their own responsibilities, despite charging heavy fees.
This “before and after” event becomes more hurtful because the child is still the same child he or she was before—curious, sensitive, loving, naughty, intense, communicative, cute in their own way, and absolutely HUMAN. Autism itself is not a tragedy. The tragedy lies in how we, and our institutions, deal with it.
Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition affecting how people communicate, interact, and process sensory information. It is characterised by variations in social skills, repetitive behaviours, and focused interests. It forms a diverse spectrum in which each person has unique strengths and challenges.
Key aspects include difficulties with social communication, intense or narrow interests, sensory sensitivities (such as to light or sound), and different ways of learning or moving, with support needs varying greatly.
Over the last two decades, as research has increased, autism has moved from the fringes of societal consciousness to the centre of educational and social debate. Sadly, however, even as much more is now known, misunderstanding and societal antipathy remain stubbornly entrenched. Despite the mantra of “inclusivity” being a cornerstone of today’s jargon, autistic children are still subjected to exclusion, discipline, and stigma.
The family, instead of being the strongest support system, also, in some cases, becomes part of the problem. Either through ignorance or simple callousness, both the child and the parents are forced to fight them off too.
The child is placed under a microscope, and every action and reaction is measured against a so-called “normal” that no one can truly define. If such microscopic scrutiny were applied to each one of us, most of us might also fall on the fringes of autism, if not be labelled wholly autistic.
So, what is to be done? This cannot continue. We owe it to all our children. We who have lived our lives and are nearing our demise must take responsibility to fight this menace of coldness and non-empathetic behaviour in society.
The foremost step we can take is to make mainstream media our partners. Under the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Ordinance, Section 20(e) Act 2007 (amendment), Clause 9, Schedule C of the PEMRA Rules 2009, it is obligatory for television and radio licensees to allocate up to 10 per cent of their airtime to public service messages, including social betterment issues, health, and social welfare programmes.
With social media having become our wherewithal, let us start a campaign highlighting this issue in a supportive, meaningful, and sympathetic manner. Why cannot public opinion leaders, instead of merely making TikTok and YouTube videos to earn followers and money, spend some time talking about this? Why not?
The government needs to step up on a war footing. No school system can operate without its approval. The relevant secretaries need to set up special cells within their ministries to work on well-researched and workable plans, not only to counter negative perceptions about autism but also about other conditions such as speech delay, ADHD, and others. Once approved, these plans must be implemented by every school in letter and spirit.
Modern schooling is built around an idea that is rarely questioned: that there is a normal, universal way for children to learn, behave, communicate, and “succeed”. Autistic children often do not conform to this, not because they are incapable of learning, but because their brains process the world differently.
When schools treat these differences as deficits to be corrected rather than variations to be understood, they turn schooling into a nightmare for children as young as four or five. What could be more devastating than adopting “masking” as a cure? Children are taught that, to survive in this “normal” world, they must hide who they truly are.
Schools need to train their teachers not only in classroom management but also in neurodiversity. They must develop in-house expertise through master trainers who can impart knowledge to others. EMPATHY must be the guiding principle. When parents are called in for discussions, the school should act, behave, and appear as a parent itself. It must be reiterated that the autistic child is as much the school’s responsibility as that of the parents.
Temple Grandin once said, “If I could snap my fingers and be non-autistic, I would not. Autism is part of what I am.” So, my respected readers, let us take the bull by the horns and face this challenge head-on. We need to remember just one thing: tomorrow, any one of us could have an autistic child or grandchild. Who knows?
Aamir Zulfiqar Khan
The writer is a senior public policy expert who has served as Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Islamabad and National Highway & Motorways Police. He can be reached at amzkhan.lhr@gmail.com
