Shillong, Sept. 15: Children with special needs are not children of a lesser god, said Meghalaya secretary (education), Frederick Roy Kharkongor, while inaugurating an awareness-cum-training programme on autism spectrum disorder here today.

The programme was organised by the office of the commissioner for persons with disabilities where Parasuram Ramamoorthi, former professor of theatre arts, Madurai Kamaraj University, was the resource person.

Kharkongor said autism was “still in the grey levels and more needs to be done to enlighten people about the subject”. The state government does not have figures on autistic people though there are over 28,000 people who have been recognised as physically challenged or persons with special needs.

The Right to Education Act, 2010, prescribes two resource persons to cater specifically to children with special needs in all block resource centres.

Ramamoorthi clarified that autism was not a “disease”, and many do not see it as a disability but a condition. “Autistics have a different kind of thinking about life altogether,” he said.

While research is underway on the exact cause of the condition, there are several theories which throw light on the causes, but none has been substantially established, Ramamoorthi said.

According to the vaccine theory, excessive exposure to lead and mercury causes autism, he added. Some see the condition as genetic. “However, it is good to know that so far no cause has been detected and hence there is no medicine for ASD.”

He lamented the fact that awareness on autism among the people of Meghalaya, especially in rural areas, is very low.

This fact has been corroborated by A.K. Das, project director and state coordinator, SRC-DRC, Shillong Civil Hospital.