According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children live with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) worldwide. In Nigeria, the condition is hardly diagnosed, rarely understood and children with ASD often suffer stigmatization.
In response to these challenges, For the ninth year in a row, Africa’s foremost financial institution, Guaranty Trust Bank plc, will bring together some of the world’s leading experts in Autism for two days of critical discourse on supporting children and adults living with Autism in Africa. Organized as part of the GTBank’s Orange Ribbon Initiative, the Annual Autism Conference, will hold on the 30th and 31st of July 2019 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
According to the press statement made available to BusinessDay, this year is themed, “Autism: Transitions, Vocational skills and The Role of Technology,”. However, the annual autism conference will bring to the fore the challenges facing children living with Autism as they grow into adulthood and also will feature presentations and keynote addresses on how to empower children and adults living with Autism to reach their full potential.
Segun Agbaje, the chief executive officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, commenting on the 9th annual autism awareness conference, said “Children and adults living with autism often lack the support and vocational training that they need to develop critical life skills for leading independent and productive lives. As an organisation that is passionate about uplifting the most vulnerable in our society, we will continue to empower people living with autism with all the support and resources that they need to reach their full potential.”
Some of the facilitators include Loretta Burns, a leading expert in the field of neuro-developmental disorders and the founder of ABE International Clinic; Tisa Hooper-Johnson, the Medical Director of the HFHS Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD), USA; Janette Washington, a speech-language pathologist with nearly a decade of experience working with children living with autism and other special needs; and Ivie Emokpae, a qualified special needs coordinator from the Institute of Education London.
Following the Autism conference will be free one-on-one consultations for children with Autism and other developmental challenges, as well as counseling for parents and guardians. There will also be sessions for Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Behaviour Analysis, Audiology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy. These sessions will hold from Thursday August 1st to Tuesday August 6th, 2019 at Digital Village, Alausa, Lagos.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
