About Last Night on My Weekly Special Needs Awareness Radio Show

We discussed the topic:  'It is Easy to Read about Autism but it's a Whole Different Story to Live with it,' @ Kiss 99.9 Fm, last night on the weekly special needs awareness radio show by the Dewdrops Community Centre for Special Needs, Abuja.

I began by explaining that autism is  a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child's social interaction, communication and behaviour. This occurs because the nerves and the brain are not developing as they should.

Mrs. Aisha John-Mark, a guest on our show and a parent of a child living with autism confirmed that reading and knowing about autism is nothing compared to living with autism. She said that she noticed her child had autism at twenty - two months and she immediately began asking questions and taking action. She said that the child was doing some obvious things like tip-toeing and acting in strange ways. She also noted that gluten-free food is not easy to find and her child does not enjoy them at all.

Barrister Moses Ntuen, another guest on the show and also a parent of a child living with autism added that autism can be managed through therapy because there is no known cure. He said one way to manage autism is to watch what you give the child. For example they take gluten-free bread such as almond bread. The child's diet and consequently the diet of the whole family is managed so that the child does not feel left out. Barrister Moses further highlighted that it is quite costly to maintain such a diet here in Nigeria. Overall, he recommended early intervention as vital in managing a child with autism.

I closed the discussion by emphasising the need for appropriate interventions for children diagnosed with autism. I further highlighted the high cost of therapy and proper interventions but I also said that discounts can be given when parents concerned about their kids come to the Dewdrops Community Centre because the children are our first priority.

We ended the show by announcing and giving details about our upcoming Autism Awareness Family Funfair scheduled for Saturday, 28th of April,2018.

Join us again next week Thursday, same time and same station.

Please consider sponsoring this program to keep us on air. Kindly call: 0705 763 0825 or send email to:  admin@dewdropscc.org

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