The NICE,  team organized the fourth annual conference on Autism spectrum disorder at St. Isabel’s hospital, Chennai  on the 1st of March 2020. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Components of Comprehensive Care’. The conference was Co-hosted by the Growth Development and Behavioral Pediatrics chapter(GDBP) of  IAP, The Chennai city branch of IAP (IAP CCB) and St. Isabel’s Hospital, Chennai. The latest edition of Autcon witnessed new entrants into the NICE scientific experience, as well as the return of delegates who have been a part of the journey, previously.

The session began with the inauguration ceremony, headed by Dr. Vijayraghavan President IAP CCB, Dr. Sudhakar Secretary IAP CCB and Reverend Sister Dr. Philomena (Medical Superintendent, St. Isabel’s Hospital) followed by a brief introduction and lookback at the NICE conferences. The scientific sessions were opened by Dr. Subramanian, Founder/ Director of NICE. The focus was on the necessity of early intervention, along with insights into the process of intervention. The session was followed by strategies for classroom intervention, by Dr. Sharanya Anil Bajaj, the Founder/ Director of Direct, Chennai. Classroom strategies change in perspective, along with strategies to accommodate and integrate children with autism into mainstream education formed the core of this scientific session. Ms. Ruth Deborah, from SRM medical college facilitated a session on the relationship between the socioemotional and communication aspects of a child with autism. The session drew perspectives from a speech and language pathologist on various intervention strategies followed to ensure the development of socially appropriate means of expression. The session on ‘Strategies for Effective Intervention’ was conducted by Dr. Suneel Godbole. Dr. Suneel, who is the Director/Founder of Chiranjeev clinic in Pune, facilitated a session on different strategies of intervention followed for autism all over the world. Dr. Monika Sharma, from Christian Medical College Ludhiana spoke on the common disorders that occur along with autism. She also highlighted the intersection between the autism diagnosis and the struggles with medication. The session following this was facilitated by Dr. Meenakshi, Founder/ Director of NICE. She highlighted common sleep concerns that are experienced by children with autism. The session also provided insight into diagnosis, testing and strategies to address sleep problems. Mr. Vandhiyathevan,SLP from NIMHANS spoke from the perspective of an occupational therapist on the importance of learning self-care. He suggested strategies to work on occupation and self-care skills in the home environment. Dr. Anuradha from Mehta Children’s hospital provided a macro perspective on children with autism. She spoke of care from the teachers, parents and even spoke of policies that were important and applicable for children with autism. The scientific sessions ended with a delegate driven discussion on common ethical dilemmas faced, stances held by professionals and understanding the intention behind a diagnostic label.

While the delegates consisted of students from reputed institutes, the conference was also graced by the presence of Professor Dr.Roopa Nagarajan, Dr. Vijay. Palaniappan, Dr. Rajeshwari among others who came to support the team. The presence of the returning delegates facilitated discussions that were experience oriented and insightful, while interacting with young student delegates from various institutions.

The conference closed on a note of gratitude with the announcement of the next conference, scheduled to be held in September, NCORE, with a focus on rehabilitation.