VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam now has an estimated 200,000 children who suffer from autism and the number is increasing.

A little boy suffers from autism

While the precise reasons for the rise are unclear, the situation is very worrying to Vietnamese parents.  

Even though autism is an innate syndrome many parents blame themselves when their child is diagnosed, thinking they could have done something to prevent it.

After noticing that her child's speech development was a bit later than other children, Vo Thi Nhung, from Hanoi, decided to go to the doctor. She was worried after seeing that this could be a sign of autism. Upon receiving the diagnosis that it was simply late development, she burst into tears.

As the numbers of children with the children increase, many other parents in Vietnam are finding themselves in the same position.

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh, from the Central Padiatrics Hospital, said parents’ worries are understandable, as it is best to detect autism early on to begin treatment as soon as possible.

“The rising number of children with autism and the lack of consistent treatment methods are confusing to many parents,” Minh commented.  

According to her, the hospital receives between 20 and 30 children a day  whose parents are worried they may have the syndrome.

She went on to say that late speech development and depression are often mistaken for autism.

She noted that parents are not to be blamed for their children’s illness, but they do play a vital role in the treatment.

Vietnam sees ríse in childhood autism

“Apart from parents who are too worried about autism, several other parents refuse to believe that their children suffer from autism and wait too long to take their children in,” said Dr. Dang Hoang Tuyen.

Because of a lack of uniform treatment and education methods, children with autism and their parents are facing increasing difficulties in integrating into the community.

Once a legal framework on the issue is established and awareness is increased, treatment in Vietnam may become easier for children and parents, Dr. Minh added.

DTriNews/VNN