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As per the Global Burden of Disease survey, in India, developmental disabilities are projected to affect more than 11 million children in the age group of less than 5 years. The highest percentage of persons with disability is in the age group of 10–19 years, amounting to 17% of the disabled population, and around 1.2% are disabled in the age group of 0–6 years. Research based evidence has reported that intervention provided at the early stages of development has been proven to be highly effective in addressing developmental challenges of children with special needs and improving their quality of life. This perspective has been written to highlight the importance of mental health professionals at a multidisciplinary integrated early intervention and rehabilitation centre for children with special needs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and social interaction, repetitive and stereotyped behaviours, and/or sensory aberrations. OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Schizophrenia consists of delusions, hallucinations, negative and cognitive symptoms. Children often present with overlapping symptoms and complex psychopathologies and adolescence is often the period where these symptoms get heightened or get noticed. Furthermore, some psychiatric disorders like OCD, ASD and psychosis often have overlaps with confusing presentations. We present a case of a 15year old male child who presented with overlapping symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]