Novel Research on autism interventions in Bangladesh by budding scientist

Ms Tasmia Rahman
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or autism has become a rapid concern worldwide and for countries like Bangladesh it has only begun getting the spotlight in the last decade. From activists, to policymakers, and even the educational and healthcare professionals treating autism, every single individual has been asking the question of “how?”. How do we “cure” such a condition? Is there a cure? How do we implement the right treatment? While scientists are yet to find a plausible “cure” for neurodevelopmental disorders or NDDs like autism, there have been extensive studies on the treatment pathways available for managingit. Multiple treatment modalities like speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, behavior therapy and even educational and healthcare interventions have been developed worldwide to tackle all types of NDDs and we have the research to prove their efficiencies.

However, developing and resource-poor countries like ours had not been a part of this crucial conversation until one young scientist from Chattogram city decided to change the narrative. Meet Tasmia Rahman, behavior therapist and PhD research fellow at the prestigious Monash University, she has been a pioneer in actively researching and developing holistic interventions that actually work for NDDs like autism. Her professional and academic career has been completely dedicated to studying about the multiple treatment pathways/ interventions that are currently available for NDDs. Recently, she has entered Bangladesh into this global conversation by publishing her preliminary findings on the treatment landscape for NDDs in our country in one of the top ranked journals for developmental disorders worldwide!

As you can see from the excerpt above, available online as an open access journal athttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2025.104971 , Ms Tasmia Rahman worked under the guidance of her supervisor Dr Md Zobaer Hasan at Monash University Malaysia campus to conduct and publish their valuable findings, becoming the first person in our country to shine the limelight on this important topic at a global stage. Her study findings give us a broader perspective onthe treatments currently used in our country for autism and provide critical information on the perspectives of both parents and professionals.

The preliminary findings have favoured developmental interventions like speech-language and occupational therapies followed by behavioural interventions as the most effective in managing autism. This study provides a valuable insight into the treatment pathways parents with autistic children can refer to and acts as a starting point for policymakers to make impactful decisions when restructuring the overall intervention landscape for NDDs like autism. However, Ms Tasmia Rahmanhasnoted that her research is still ongoing and she is currently focusing on developing a more integrative intervention for all types of NDDs and hopes to positively reshape the approach we have towards NDD treatments in Bangladesh.

To learn more about her innovative work on NDD treatments, head on over to https://aspbytasmia.com/ .