Hyderabad: While most people find it challenging to deal with family members having special needs such as Autism, a young entrepreneur from Hyderabad viewed it as an opportunity to serve the people.
Mohammed Ibrahim Raza, a fresh Computer Science graduate has created a website for early detection of Autism. Ibrahim aims to help people with Autism across Telangana. Speaking of the inspiration behind the initiative, he said, “I developed the app after seeing my sister going through pain due to Autism. We faced a lot of challenges since her condition was not detected early.”
Initially, Ibrahim was reluctant towards the issue however, one day when six-year-old Aleeza began running back and forth with excruciating pain, the entrepreneur realised that his sister was suffering from a major health issue.
The entrepreneur gradually began researching Autism, and based on the data he collected Ibrahim outlined the app and pitched the idea to Edventure Park, a Hyderabad-based business incubator, where he was onboarded. “Detecting Autism and accepting the fact is the initial hurdle that families face. Even if the ailment is detected, it is a major challenge to go for therapy; since it is costly and a handful of people have access to it,” he told Siasat.com.
Based on the research, Ibrahim built the Leeza.app named after his sister Aleeza. “I named the app Leeza so that I am constantly reminded of the purpose for which it has been created,” he explained.
Another inspiration to create the app was the entrepreneur’s visit to the Parents Association for Welfare of Mentally Handicapped Persons (PAWMENCAP) School, Hyderabad, where he interacted with differently-abled students.
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The treatment or therapy for Autism is not affordable to all, additionally, people don’t find proper therapy centres. There are three to four types of therapies available for Autism, however, since it is a long-term process, therapies may extend up to three years at a minimum cost of Rs 30,000 per month.
Ibrahim revealed that the therapy centre where Aleeza was being treated was experimenting with extra therapies for the child to make more money.
“In India, those who can barely afford the therapy must have a minimum annual package of Rs 8 lakh. According to a 2011 census, in India, 10 million children suffer from Autism within these only 3 million have access to Autism services. Among the remaining 7 million, 4 million children have no access to these services,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim also claimed that the entire cost of early Autism detection would be significantly reduced. The cost of early tests and procedures, which would approximately be Rs 12 lakh, has now been reduced to Rs 3000 with the development of the website and the app, in the future.
As Autism is a long-term issue, the parents need to be trained in understanding the requirements of the children. The entrepreneur has been working in collaboration with Hyderabad-based NGO, Bharatiya Vidyalaya to provide services to autistic children.
Director of Bharatiya Vidyalaya, Ayesha Rubina, said, “Ibrahim reached out to us a few months ago. I felt that his idea is in line with our vision of assisting children with special needs and hence we forged a collaboration.”
Rubina added that the app has helped her NGO enhance its reach to people who need such services. The NGO is providing three-month certificate courses to parents, especially mothers, on how to manage their children. Leeza.app is preparing modules for these courses through its Learning Management System.
Shedding light on the scientific significance of the app, consultant physician and director, of Caspian Healthcare, Dr Khizer Hussain Junaidi said, “Autism is not a particular disease. It is a spectrum of symptoms with variable intensities. The intensity varies from mild, moderate to severe, and the symptoms and severity will be in variable combinations.”
Some children may have sensory hypersensitivity and some else might suffer from some other type of issue. Such a vast spectrum makes it challenging to diagnose Autism, especially when parents are ignorant and there are in a state of denial.
Sharing an example of a child, Khizer said, “Most of the time, I stay at the clinic for an extra hour where a few parents come with their children with special needs. One day a lady came to me with her 3-year-old kid. The baby wasn’t having social interaction. I inquired about the child’s age and language development. However, the speech did not develop according to age.”
He further stated that is essential for the parents to understand autistic children; if the children are not understood they start throwing tantrums. “2-5 years is the toddler age when children have tantrums, whereas repetitive behaviour is a feature of Autism. These children have sharp hearing sense since they have a hypersensitivity to sound.”
At times, even the doctors may not be able to diagnose that the child suffers from Autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Children with ADHD have a short span of attention; the app is helping assess children through ‘Autism Quotient’ a questionnaire designed by the National Health Services of the UK. There are four types of tests; occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioural therapy and fine motor skills.
The doctor further said, “There are a lot of factors that have to be assessed to conclude that the child suffers from Autism. While the doctors won’t be able to spend time with a questionnaire for each patient, Leeza.app is trying to do exactly that.”
Initially, the user can choose whether they fill out the questionnaire for themselves or the child. After the questionnaire is filled, the user is supposed to book a slot with one of the counsellors. These counsellors can help people understand the issue at hand and suggest doctors and therapies accordingly.
