Ahmedabad, June 21: It was not before Anjali was one-and-a-half-year-old that her mother realised that everything was not right with her. Anjali had not started speaking yet, walked in a strange way and looked lost. Seema, her mother, though concerned did not seek professional advice. And when she did — after a good six months — it was rather late. Anjali was diagnosed with autism and remedial action became difficult due to late intervention.

“This is the mistake most parents make. They wait until it is too late and then remedial action is difficult,” said Minal Doshi, Director, Setu Developmental Intervention Centre, a place catering exclusively to the needs of children with developmental disorders.

“Awareness level among parents is abysmally low. In most cases even doctors do not diagnose it early enough. Early intervention is the key in dealing with these cases.”

The bigger problem, however, lies elsewhere — Except for Setu Centre, there is no other centre in the entire state to spread awareness about autism, or help parents with such children.

“We are at present working with 39 children. There are many more children out there who have nowhere to go; many parents are ignorant about the special needs of their children,” said Doshi, adding, “In fact, there is no college in the state that offers a course in occupational therapy.”

Amita, mother of a five-year-old autistic girl, says, “It would be great if there is an association of parents with autistic children. We can share and learn from each other’s experiences.”

While autism does not necessarily imply that children are mentally challenged, many do turn out to be so. “It is difficult for a parent to accept that your child is mentally challenged. It is important to remember that they learn differently,” says Seema.