India’s first bridgital autism support network set up

The Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) has partnered with the Center for Autism and other Disabilities Rehabilitation Research and Education (CADRRE) to launch ‘Pay Autention - A different mind is a gifted mind’, India’s first bridgital autism support network.  

About the initiative:

• To create awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and help people understand, accept and support individuals with autism and their parents and caregivers
• The initiative shall pave the way for small towns and rural India to access specialised care and support and help create an auxiliary network of champions for the differently abled.
• This platform shall also enable mentoring, skilling and meaningful livelihoods for people with autism.
• In the first phase, the initiative will primarily focus on supporting children with autism, and subsequently, in the second stage, it will focus on young adults, empowering them with life skills and career readiness.
• It will create a network of grassroot champions, enable early identification, first-level care, teach social skills, ways to ease activities of daily living, hold workshops for sensory and motor development – art and craft, dance, music therapy, physical and mental fitness, communication skills and enable support for academics.
• In addition to this, a toll-free autism support helpline is also launched at 1800 2099 488 to provide interactive support and much-needed professional aid for families in need.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. 
• It can involve a wide range of symptoms and skills.
• ASD can be a minor problem or a disability that needs full-time care in a special facility.
• People with autism have trouble with communication.
• They have trouble understanding what other people think and feel.
• This makes it hard for them to express themselves, either with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch.