Page 11 - Mainstreamer Volume 1 Issue 2 Feb 2023

CRITICAL THOUGHT

published by The Asia-Pacific Development Center identify. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder
on Disability (APCD). on a spectrum, therefore there is no merely one
symptom, and it affects people differently. As a
State Year Male Female Total result, many persons with autism are neglected.
Brunei 2019 1,329 529 1,858 They are excluded from government and non-
Cambodia 2019 941 372 1,313
Indonesia 2019 2,729 government programs and services. Their exclusion
Laos no specific data from the development process also prevents the
Malaysia 2018 21,287 formulation of laws and policies to promote and
Myanmar no specific data protect the rights of autistic people. .
Philippines no specific data
one in 150
Singapore children has Moving forward, managing affairs involving
autism persons with autism necessitates collaboration
Thailand 2018 12,297 among ASEAN members. There must be a space for
Vietnam 200,000 data exchange between ASEAN members in order
Sources: Autism at a Glance in ASEAN by Asia-Pacific to expand opportunities for research on public
Development Center on Disability Foundation
health and service delivery aspects of autism. Data
According to the statistics, there is no sharing can also help to strengthen international
standardized record of the number of individuals research collaboration in order to identify causes
with autism in ASEAN. Some countries, such and treatments. The Asia-Pacific Development
as Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines, do not Center on Disability Foundation is able to kickstart
have specific data about autism prevalence. The this collaboration. However, full cooperation for
main reason is that they simply classify persons this initiative from all ASEAN members are critical
with autism as having disabilities. Indonesia, to its success.
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have recorded The author is currently researching disability issues. He
a total number, with no more details. Brunei and also enjoys outdoor activities like jogging and hiking.
Cambodia have better records compared to other
ASEAN countries, with detailed numbers across
gender. Singapore, too, lacks a detailed description;
instead, it provides an estimated number based on
a ratio.

The statistics in that record differ significantly
from WHO’s estimated ratio. Based on the
estimated ratio, there are more than 300,000
autistic individuals in Malaysia and 50,000 in
Singapore. Autism affects an estimated 638,000
individuals in Indonesia. In the Philippines,
estimated cases of autism increased from 500,000
in 2008 to one million in 2014. This proves that
autism awareness in ASEAN countries is still
quite low and and that intervention is needed so
that cases of autistic children can be reported to
appropriate agencies or authorities.

One of the main reasons the prevalence of
autism in ASEAN is still unclear is because no
established network monitors people with autism.
Each ASEAN country takes its own initiative in
managing affairs relating to autistic individuals.
Also, autism is a hidden disability that is difficult to

Vol. 01, Issue 2 | February 2023 10