The Month of April has been dedicated to celebrating and creating awareness of Autism as Ghanaians have been entreated to become more helpful to children living with the condition.
Autism, a neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person’s life, still has its cause unknown with research suggesting that both genes and environment may play an important factor.
In some parts of Ghana, the condition is still attributed to witchcraft or curse from the gods, where children and adults are subjected to various forms of abuse and stereotyping.
Speaking on Spice 91.9FM, Child Development Expert and Child Advocate, Dr Nana Esi Gaisie-Tetteh noted that such children living with the condition are special and needed to be taken good care of. She added that children living with autism are born with latent skills and talents, and need attention and care to exhibit them.
“Children living with autism are special in their ways, and as such needs attention and care to put their talents to materialize. In other parts of the world, these children do so well as compared to the ordinary child,” she said.
Madam Gaisie nonetheless, said, the learning process of autistic children is unique and they often get attached to singing and playing instruments among others.
The annual Autism Day Awareness Day aims at bringing individual autism organizations together to aid in research, diagnoses, treatment, and overall acceptance for those with this neurological variance.
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Autistic children are nevertheless taken through speech therapy by trained experts who takes these children through a series of process to correct their speech.
Parents are encouraged to pay attention to children during the early ages to detect autism and to seek early treatment.
Dr Gaisie assured that the region is soon to get a Speech Therapist who will attend to autistic children, to reduce the stress of travelling to other regions to seek treatment.
This year’s celebration is on the theme; “Empowering women and girls with autism”.
