Add Insight on Detecting Autism Symptoms in Children Early with Sri Utami

Drg. Sri Utammi Soedarsono, M.Si. (tengah) memberikan buku karyanya untuk Dompet Dhuafa dalam acara Jumat Dahsyat: Deteksi Dini Autisme dan Penanganannya, Jumat (10/1/2024), di Ruang Sasana Budaya Philanthropy Building, Jakarta Selatan.

JAKARTA — Dompet Dhuafa held another Friday Dahsyat event on Friday (10/01/2025) in the Sasana Budaya Room of Rumah Kita, Philanthropy Building, South Jakarta. In this talk show, Dompet Dhuafa invited expert speakers, namely Drg. Sri Utami Soedarsono, M.Si. who presented material on “Early Detection of Autism and its Handling”.

The room was full of laughter and warmth, because that afternoon also attended Parni Hadi as the Initiator and Chair of the Dompet Dhuafa Board of Trustees. He greeted Dompet Dhuafa employees and conveyed the importance of gaining knowledge from today’s speakers.

Dompet Dhuafa employees came in droves to attend Friday Dahsyat on Friday (10/01/2024).

The event was very solemn. The doctor who is familiarly called Mother Tami was able to bring the forum actively. The Dompet Dhuafa employees were busy listening. She said that every child has their own greatness and advantages, including children with autism.

According to him, autistic children only have a different communication style, not that they can’t do it. They have difficulty forming social relationships or communication like people in general. The imbalance lies in the sensory process and motor skills.

Mother Tami explained that the cause of autism is mainly due to heavy metal toxicity such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. The brain functions affected by these materials are usually cognitive, receptive, attentional, and behavioral functions.

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Drg. Dr. Sri Utami Soedarsono, M.Si. presented the material, “Early Detection of Autism and its Handling” at Sasana Budaya Philanthropy Building, South Jakarta.

“They are not abnormal, but they are different. Autistic children are on a spectrum. They have a long chain. In fact, they are geniuses. I have students with autistics who graduated from S1 at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and S2 at the University of Indonesia (UI),” said the nephew of the third President of the Republic of Indonesia, BJ Habibie.

Not only the cause, Doctor Tami also conveyed how the role of parents and families of autistic children should be. Starting from the characteristics, how to detect early on, rules regarding the child’s nutrition, to how to deal with it daily.

The doctor who is familiarly called Mother Tami delivered the material actively to the Dompet Dhuafa people.
Distribution of surveys to find out the indicators of children with autism.

In the middle of the forum, Mother Tami shared a survey about the indicators of children with autism. The survey was filled out by Dompet Dhuafa employees with enthusiasm. After that, the question and answer session began.

Bunda Tami said that ordinary people can also detect symptoms of child autism from an early age. Starting from the way he interacts with social. They prefer to be alone, do not make eye contact with interlocutors and like to pull other people’s hands to do what they want. Usually, the diagnosis can be made when the child is two years old or even before that.

The way of communication is also different. Language development is much slower, sometimes using diction that does not match the meaning. In addition, they also do not use speech as a means of communication and prefer to imitate those around them.

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Together with Drg. Martina Tirta Sari as the moderator of Friday Dahsyat and Parni Hadi, Bunda Tami shared the happy news about her latest book.

Doctor Tami and Parni Hadi also shared the happy news about the publication of Bunda Tami’s book entitled Healthy Smile of Babel Children and Fish-based Food Menu for Early Child hood . The first book contains knowledge about dental health in children, while the second book contains knowledge according to its title.

In closing, Mother Tami conveyed the importance of the role of parents to detect early. If the child’s behavior is not appropriate and leads to symptoms of autism, parents should immediately contact a doctor for consultation. She also gave recommendations for certain books to add insight into this matter. (Dompet Dhuafa)

Text and photo: Hany Fatihah Ahmad

Editor: Dhika