Daily Times
April 6, 2021
April 2, each year is observed around the world as World Autism Awareness Day. The purpose of observing this day is to raise awareness about Autism and highlight the challenges faced by people with autism and their families.
Like any other country in the world, autism is widely prevalent in Pakistan. There is, however, no official figure as there has never been a survey of people with autism. Civil society organizations estimate the number of people with autism in the country to be between 400,000 to 500,00. These estimates, however, are not substantiated by any scientific survey. World Health Organization estimates that one in every 160 children in the world is suffering from autism. If this formula is applied to Pakistan, the number of children with autism in the country would be around one million, and the number would be growing every year.