Social Communication of Children with Autism: Issues and Challenges for Child Language Development in Bangladesh

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder has difficulties with social communication, language development, interaction and regulating behaviour. These core impairments affect ASD children’s experiences as they enter daily living and educational settings. Early diagnosis helps a special child for developing their communicative skills and social interaction. This study identifies the social communicative features of ASD children in Bangladesh and finds out their major issues and challenges for language development. It also identifies how social interaction abilities help special children through group intervention with peers. Moreover, it recognizes existing NDD laws and policy’s role in overcoming all these challenges. This cross-sectional study uses purposive and quota sampling. Interviews were taken from 20 ASD children aged between 7 to 17 years, 15 respondents were special educators, 10 children were TD group from 7 to 10 years, 15 respondents were parents or caregivers and 10 participants were act and policy enforcement specialized personnel. In the social communicative features of ASD children in Bangladesh, it is found that special children can respond to salutations and greet outsiders prompted by their teachers and parents. Most of them could recognize body parts, understand directions and tell the objects’ names. It indicates that ASD children can respond to those social-communicative behaviours that are practised at home and school regularly. On the other hand, most children with autism could not identify turn-taking and Shaheed Miner’s pictures. Parents of ASD children prohibited their children from going to social gatherings because of social stigma. ASD children have difficulties to respond in social story-related questions compared to typically developing children because of a lack of understanding of the theory of mind. However, a few ASD children’s specialized skills are found in singing and reciting poems. Social communication can determine the social status of a person. Here about 80 percent of parents think that language is a skill which helps ASD children develop their social communication. Besides these teachers are found trained but most of them have an information gap about existing NDD-related laws and policies. Parents are also not aware of laws and policies related to neurodevelopmental disability. Laws and policy enforcement personnel state that there is a lack of coordination between government and non-government organizations. Autism is not a disease but ASD children have so many barriers found in this study which should be removed for sustainable development. The result of the study may make the policy makers or related specialized professionals think one more time for understanding the real situation of the society and can be helpful to make an autism-friendly society.