The Indian Medical Association, Ludhiana celebrated the World Autism Awareness Month with an awareness session on various aspects of Autism. Professionals from various fields of medicine, therapists as well as parents of children with autism participated in the interactive CME.

Dr PS Jassal, President of IMA, Ludhiana welcomed the 85 participants and said that IMA wanted to make sure every doctor was aware of autism and special care needs of children with autism and their parents. Dr Neelam Sodhi, Director of Ashirwad, The North India Cerebral Palsy Association, who co-ordinated the CME welcomed the initiative taken by IMA. Members of the Ludhiana Academy of Pediatrics as well as doctors from CMC and DMC also participated in the event.

Dr Vibhu Narad, an eminent developmental pediatrician from the city appraised participants about the reasons and inheritance of autism followed by Dr Monika Sharma, developmental pediatrician at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana who spoke about how physicians can recognize children with autism, the importance of early identification and referring them for special care. Dr Priyanka Kalra, a practicing psychiatrist informed about various modalities of management available.

Parents of children with autism also participated in the event and shared their experiences in seeking help in diagnosis and care and highlighted the need for organized care in Punjab.

The event ended with Ashutosh Khosla, playing the National Anthem, while the participants sang their hearts out. Dr Bimal Kanish, Secretary of IMA along with Dr Jassal and other eminent physicians of the city thanked the audience and lauded Ashutosh for his flawless performance. Ashutosh is a role model with autism.

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