Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South, Dakoa Newman has called on all to throw light on the challenges barriers and hurdles people with autism are faced with in the society, schools, work places and the community at large as the month of April is Autism Awareness month.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn and behave.
According to World Health Organization, 1 in 100 children has autism and while some children with autism can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require lifelong care and support.
Darkoa Newman said as leaders, ensuring the provision of support for persons on the spectrum is paramount to promote inclusiveness.
To achieve this, she said “we must adopt a structured approach. First, there must be periodic review of existing educational and health policies as this is required to develop an effective system that makes it mandatory for nurses and early years teachers/educators to be trained in spotting early signs of autism and communication delays.”
Secondly, she added “basic schools should have a teacher trained in autism to support children on the spectrum. In addition to this, to make the needed interventions to support autistic children affordable for parents and guardians, I propose that the National Health Insurance Scheme considers absorbing a percentage of speech therapy and other treatments required. Lastly, businesses and organizations must be incentivized to employ and support neurodivergent individuals into mainstream jobs.
“I conclude by admitting that most people on the autism spectrum are predominantly misunderstood but this is due to a lack of awareness about the disorder. This disorder is no excuse for people to be shunned or denied access to equal opportunities.
“As a society the onus lies on us individually and collectively to create a system that is sensitive and supportive of neurodivergent individuals.
“Let’s all LIGHT IT UP BLUE throughout the month to educate and advocate for a neuro-inclusive world for all.”