Autism care must extend beyond early diagnosis and childhood interventions, say experts
Experts at the Autism Odyssey 3.0 conference in Hyderabad emphasized that autism is a lifelong condition requiring support beyond childhood. They called for integrated, multidisciplinary systems to assist autistic individuals with education, employment, and independent living throughout their adult lives.
Why it matters
This shift in perspective challenges the current healthcare focus on early intervention, advocating for a more sustainable, long-term infrastructure for neurodivergent individuals globally.
Autism care must extend beyond early diagnosis and childhood interventions to provide sustained support through adolescence, adulthood and old age, experts said at Autism Odyssey 3.0, a two-day international conference on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) organised by the Child Development Centre at Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Hyderabad.
The conference was organised in collaboration with Marham, the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and organisations working in the field of autism.
The central theme of the conference was that autism is a lifelong developmental condition rather than a childhood diagnosis. Experts highlighted the need for integrated systems that support autistic individuals through education, employment, relationships, independent living and ageing, while keeping families at the centre of care.
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