A good litmus test for the civility of any given society is how it treats its most marginalized groups, which is why it is all the more unfortunate that so many children with special needs in Bangladesh still face social, cultural, and institutional stigma on a daily basis.
With the 16th World Autism Awareness Day having been observed globally, now is the time for Bangladeshis to shed the decades of stigma surrounding it. Due to the raft of ignorance and misinformation surrounding autism, those with autism are often stigmatized, marginalized, and discriminated against from their very childhood.
While it is good to see the government recognize the importance of recognizing autism not as a condition worthy of condemnation but as a celebration of neuro-divergence, what we need are policy-level changes. Policies that would take action against schools and institutions that actively refuse to take in children who are on the spectrum.
However, we must also commend institutions which are actively working towards ending the stigma and the progress they have made by establishing special therapy centres that offer the personalized attention and care that neuro-divergent children need.
All brains are different and autism is part of that diversity, after all.
It is up to us as a society to foster knowledge and understanding of such matters and to be more sensitive to the reality and the special needs of these children and their families.
As an economy, Bangladesh has come a long way; but as a society we still have a long way to go. Let us stand beside those with autism and their families, and work to end the stigma for good.