KNOWLEDGE AND EXPOSURE ABOUT AUTISM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, SAYS PM'S WIFE

KUALA LUMPUR June 29 (Bernama)-- The wife of the Malaysian prime minister
Rosmah Mansor said Monday night, knowledge and exposure about autism needs to be
addressed to ensure autism patients are not be isolated from the outside world.

"In Malaysia, autism is often misconstrued as mental illness. Consequently,
these children are mostly kept at home, hidden from the outside world.

"We need to spread the awareness. We need to teach parents the symptoms to
look out for if they suspect their children could be suffering from autism,"
she said in her opening address of the Kidzcare concert at the Philharmonic
Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre(KLCC) here.

Also present were the national chairman of the Malaysian Red Cresent Society
Tengku Shariman Tunku Sulaiman; MRCS secretary-general Noordin
Abdul Razak; National Autistic Society of Malaysia (NASOM) president Teh Beng
Choon and Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers Welfare Association (Bakti)
honorary-secretary, Khamarzan Ahmed Meah.

The concert was jointly organized by the Kidzcare Foundation, MRCS and the
Malaysian Rotary Club.


The Kidzcare Foundation was established to create more awareness about
autism in Malaysia.

According to Rosmah, research about music therapy had shown that it could
be a useful tool in treating autism patients.

"Research has shown that music therapy is a positive influence in the
treatment of individuals afflicted by autism," she said.

Rosmah also called on the corporate sector and non-governmental
organizations to collaborate with government agencies regarding research about
autism in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA



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