Hyderabad: In an effort to strengthen awareness and promote comprehensive policy-level changes for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Yashoda Hospitals - Hitech City, in collaboration with the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID), organised the National Autism Stakeholders Summit - 2026.
The two-day national conference aimed to advance autism care and empowerment and was inaugurated by Hari Chandana Dasari, Hyderabad District Collector.
The summit brought together over 500 leading pediatric neurologists, neuroscientists, therapists, policymakers, researchers, educators, NGOs, and families of individuals with autism from across the country.
It was conducted under the guidance of Dr A Lingaiah, Director of Medical Services at Yashoda Hospitals, and Dr Lokesh Lingappa, Child & Adolescent Neurologist and Director of the Department of Pediatric Neurosciences, with the support of Dr B V Ram Kumar, Director, NIEPID. The organising committee included Dr Amulya Mysore, Developmental Pediatrician and Clinical In-Charge, CDC, along with Dr Sarah Bailur, Medical Geneticist, and Dr Somasekhar, Senior Clinical Psychologist.
A Child Development Centre (CDC), which was envisioned as a comprehensive facility for early identification and intervention for children with developmental and behavioural needs, was also inaugurated.