Bantwal is a taluk in the Dakshina Kannada District having about 4 lakh population. The taluk has about 41,000 children in the age group of 0-6 years. Around 3% of the children in this age group have one or other type of disabilities. Thus as an estimate, the taluk has about 1200 children living with different types of disabilities. As per the data of Department of Education, Govt of Karnataka, 220 Divyang Children are studying in various schools of Bantwal taluk. Divyag students require special care and training. But School teachers and Anganavadi Workers are not adequately equipped to meet the needs of these children. And there is severe shortage of skilled interventionists or institutions in the Taluk to give specialized care and support for these children. It is observed that there is rise in the of the identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) among children in Dakshina Kannada District as well as Bantwala Taluk.driven by increased Awareness , Improved Screening and Various Environmental or Developmental Issues. A 2025 study utilizing trained ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers to screen toddlers in rural Dakshina Kannada found that 0.7% of toddlers were at high risk for ASD. Furthermore, the study highlighted that nearly 42.3% of the sampled toddlers required follow-up, indicating a significant need for intervention services.
Approximately 35% of children with special needs in Dakshina Kannada are reported to have intellectual disabilities, which sometimes overlap with ASD.