First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed has emphasised the importance of developing the skills of individuals with autism and creating as many opportunities as possible to support their growth. She made the remarks while speaking at a ceremony held to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Maldives Autism Association.
During her speech, the First Lady highlighted wide-spread misconceptions within the community regarding autism. She noted that many individuals mistakenly believe that autism needs to be “cured with special treatment” or that the attitudes and behaviours of individuals with autism, which arise from differences in brain function, need to be changed. Hence, she conveyed the need for additional efforts to clarify these misconceptions, emphasising that children must be fully accepted with their individual personality differences.
The First Lady commended the Maldives Autism Association for its ongoing efforts to transform the community into a more inclusive society. She praised their work in providing necessary support mechanisms from all sections of society and in creating an environment where individuals with autism can advocate for their own rights.
"They need to be given an environment where they can advocate for their rights. The Maldives Autism Association is doing a lot of work towards that. Autism is a unique health condition that a person experiences. It requires treatment and care to bring out extraordinary results,” Madam Sajida said.
The First Lady then highlighted the global perspective on autism, emphasising that despite the varying degrees of autistic challenges, several notable individuals have persevered and are living successful lives. She encouraged not to be disheartened by the symptoms of autism, but to recognise the child’s potential and continuously offer as many opportunities as possible.
The First Lady further emphasised the precedence attached by the administration to autism under its social justice policy. She also highlighted the government’s decision to provide employment opportunities for such individuals.
At the ceremony, the First Lady presented commemorative plaques to long serving employees of the Maldives Autism Association.
Founded in 2010, the Maldives Autism Association aims to provide various treatments to children with autism in in the Maldives and equip them with life skills and prepare them for the school environment. The association also runs teacher training programs for educators that work with children with autism. Over the past 15 years, the association has served about 1,800 children, with 168 children currently receiving services from the centre.