Autism

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a development disorder caused by differences in the maturing of the brain. It usually affects children between the ages of 2 years to early adolescents. Causes of autism could be a result of several factors including genetic, biological and environmental factors. Not all causes of autism have been discovered. Autism is not a disease that can be diagnosed with the necessary drugs or prescriptions given. Rather it is a disorder that has to be managed according to the severity of the affected child. This management is given by the parents or guardians of the child or in the case of a school, the staff who has knowledge of the disorder and teachers should be made aware at a basic level of the best ways to manage the disorder.

For us in Rayfield, we are currently monitoring the autistic students we have to give the best possible care while seeking out trainings, seminars and programs that would enable us to give better service to those considered autistic or special needs students. Our goal is to ensure that the students with this disability are not segregated or disenfranchised in any way rather they adapt into the fabric and culture of the school and the learning activities to give him or her the same academic and educational experience of other students.

With autism on the increase in Nigeria with over 100,000 students currently considered autistic it becomes necessary and imperative for schools to begin to train the staff on how to handle such cases. Teachers and caregivers need to understand that these children deserve the same if not more attention as the other children in the school. This requires knowledge and empathy necessary to incorporate the children into their respective academic institutions. Therefore going out to seek programs and trainings to handle these special cases becomes requisite for proper integration of these special needs children.