Pune: Autism Awareness Drive at Pune Kids Festival Screens Toddlers for Early Developmental Delays
Pune, 15th December 2025: In a significant move towards early childhood development awareness, the Avyan Idris Foundation successfully concluded a four-day awareness and screening drive for Autism and other Neuro-Developmental Delays (NDDs) at the Pune Kids Festival (Balotsav 2025).
Held at Sarasbaug from December 11th to 14th in partnership with PMC Care, the initiative aimed to bridge the gap between parental observation and clinical identification. The drive witnessed massive public engagement, particularly during the festival’s final two days, with a focused outreach on parents of toddlers aged 2 to 3 years—a critical window for early intervention.
Moving away from clinical intimidation, the Foundation adopted a unique conversational approach. Volunteers engaged parents in structured one-on-one discussions that began with normal age-appropriate developmental milestones before gently introducing the concept of early neuro-developmental delays.
“Our goal is to help parents observe, understand, and act early — not to label children. When parents are guided with the right information in a supportive and non-judgemental environment, they feel empowered to take informed next steps for their child,” said Sudhanshu Kumar, CEO of the Avyan Idris Foundation.
This “curiosity over anxiety” approach encouraged parents to actively participate. Interested families were introduced to a free online autism screening checklist based on the M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) framework, a globally recognized paediatric pre-screening tool.
The initiative aligns with national priorities set by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, both of which emphasize the importance of early identification and community-based support.
