From all available statistics, there seems to be an increase in the prevalence of autism worldwide, and Nigeria is no exception. The good thing, though, according to the World Health Organisation, WHO, is that, it is not caused by vaccination, and it is also not communicable.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of old wives tales around the condition which is actually a spectrum of conditions ranging from near indistinguishable to near paralyzing.
According to the WHO, “People with ASD are often subject to stigma and discrimination, including unjust deprivation of health, education and opportunities to engage and participate in their communities.
“People with ASD have the same health problems that affect the general population. Furthermore, they may have specific health-care needs related to ASD or other co-occurring conditions. They may be more vulnerable to developing chronic noncommunicable conditions because of behavioural risk factors such as physical inactivity and poor dietary preferences, and are at greater risk of violence, injury and abuse”.
The Gtbank Autism Programme is now in its 9th edition and it’s aimed at helping people understand the challenges of autistic patients and how their caregivers can better manage them. It’s also to help erase societal stigma that ASD patients face on a daily basis. This being a condition that more kids ( the most quoted statistic is 1/160 kids) face, the Gtbank intervention is laudable and highly commendable.
