Experts Advocate Sustainable Support System for Children, Adults With Autism 

Mary Nnah

When Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is discussed in our society, there is a culture of silence that hinders awareness, acceptance, and access to resources for children living with the condition and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the CEO/Founder of Shades of Life Care Limited, Eziafakaku Nwokolo has emphasized that early intervention and educational services, combined with support networks, will lead to improved quality of life for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Nwokolo made this declaration at Shades of Life’s graduation ceremony for some Behaviour Analysts that were trained at the facility. They are charged with the mission and responsibility of ethically delivering excellent assessment, diagnosis and intervention services for ASD and IDD.

“We are on a mission to increase access to experts in the field, not just in Lagos, but throughout Nigeria. At Shades of Life, we train practitioners in the science of ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis). The center was set up to assist in tackling the hindrance of care for children with ASD and other IDDs and also to some extent, change public perception of these individuals and their families.”

She revealed that she got into this sector due to her experience of being the mother of an autistic daughter. This fuelled her passion to provide quality services to families with children that have similar challenges.

“So my foray into developmental disabilities started, shall I say, 21 years ago. And the reason I say 21 years ago is that that’s about how old my autistic daughter is. And we did a lot of intervention for her outside the country and in the country. Other parents like myself and my friends got together. And we used to bring in specialists from outside of the country. I figured that would not be sustainable. Plus, I realized we needed to build capacity in Nigeria. So I decided that I was going to retire from a regular job and be part of the solution. So that’s how I got into the industry.”

“I discovered that therapy and early intervention were the things that aided my child and I  decided to get certified. Then I opened a training center in Nigeria.”

Keynote speaker at the event, Mrs. Abisoye Akinola, charged the graduating set to be prepared because there is a process towards achieving greatness. She doled out some nuggets on passion, patience and profits, explaining that they might not find the gains immediately but the opportunity would present itself for them to be rewarded.

Akinola also emphasized on measuring their gain in their career based on the impact it has on society, especially when managing special needs children. She further advised them to be of good conduct and character, as well as make ample use of time which is very pertinent in their chosen career path.

Mrs. Uzochi Maduekwe, Head of Primary, RiverBank School, who was also one of the graduating students of the day, stated that she joined the program because there are a lot of children with special needs in the country and she wants to have a different grasp of how she can help them, while also integrating them into the society. 

“It is definitely not easy to have an autistic child and I think that one of the best things that parents can do for themselves is to first of all, acknowledge it and then educate themselves. For you to have an autistic child, you have to be someone who is strong-willed, you have to have a mind of your own, you should not be easily influenced by societal views. Your love and dedication has to be for your child. It is your child first and society next. The work of ABA therapy is actually to help children to function within the society they find themselves in, ” she said.

Also, the only male graduating practitioner in the set, Olurotimi Dada stated that he has a son and with the knowledge he has acquired, he would be able to deploy it for his personal use as well as help others as a practitioner.

“Most of the time, I come across more females than males in this field in Nigeria and it’s actually funny because it means that males actually need to come on board and get things done. Autism and Neuro-developmental disorders have nothing to do with gender. And in terms of intervention, the more people we are able to get to come onboard, the better.”