GTBank holds Autism Week as experts call for home-based database

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has organised its 11th Annual Autism week as Speech-Language Pathologists called on the Federal Government for a database on the number of people living with Autism for an effective strategy in addressing the problem.

Speaking at the conference held on Wednesday, A Consultant and Speech-Language Pathologist with over 25 years of experience, Dr Grace Bamigboye said Nigeria still feeds on research done out-country; hence, the low level of awareness and provision of necessary facilities to address the problem.

Dr Grace explained that the database is expedient in order to afford the government the opportunity to know how to effectively strategize to cater for them as it is done in other developed countries.

She, therefore, advised that the government should be deliberate by making funds available for research into these areas for the purpose of all-inclusiveness, adding that local researchers should also be supported.

“The lack of data on the people living with autism is the more reason why the government needs to come on board. We don’t even know the number of professionals to train ahead. You need to know the number of people having such before you can effectively strategize to meet the needs of that number.

“We are in a country that still feeds itself with research carried out outside the country. I particularly carried out a kind of research on an epidemiological study in LUTH on the number of children coming in with speech-language difficulty.

“Here, our research is very limited to small areas. But, outside the country, we have grants given to professionals who are willing to carry out research and thus have widespread information as to giving a specific number to demographic studies and epidemiological studies.

“So, you can infer from whatever number you are getting anywhere. So, we are looking at children with developmental delays 7-12 percentage but not just autism of children between age 2 to about 14 according to global research.” She said.

Another Consultant, who is the convener, Special Needs Educator, Adelola Edema-George said that lack of data on autism and other developmental delay is caused by political interest on the part of the government.

Adelola noted that structures would be in place to cater for the purpose when the government is interested.

She added that the superstitious nature of Nigerians is also a factor determining the low awareness of developmental delays; hence, the need to raise a hand in spreading the information to the nooks and crannies of the country.

Edema-George explained that showing the positive side of autism would reduce its superstition and further improve governmental support.

“In Nigeria, reasons for lack of data are due to political interest. One of the reasons for this awareness apart from helping families is the hope that it would influence political interest.

“When the government is interested, structures can be put in place.

“Nigerians are generally superstitious. That is why there is a lot of awareness going on so that we can erase these superstitions.

“I believe that if the positive side of autism is shown, the superstition would be reduced and government support would be improved upon.” She said.

Speaking also, A Nigerian-born Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist based in Staten Island in New York, Adegboyega Otubanjo disclosed that Nigeria still not measuring up in terms of the level of accessibility to autism facilities even though not limited to it but third world countries.

Adegboyega explained that lack of awareness of the developmental delay is due to unemployment and underemployment prominent amongst African countries.

“Nigeria is still behind when it comes to the level of accessing the autism facilities and this is not limited to Nigeria only but also in their world countries.

“In the low-income areas where we have children with autism and other forms of developmental delays in New York, we found out that the main issue is the awareness and the willingness due to unemployment, and underemployment,” Adegboyega said.

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