For the years that I have lived, I've never been able to figure out why Kenya doesn't treat autism with the seriousness it deserves.
As someone who grew up with an autistic sibling, I understand the critical importance of treating people with autism equally.
Seeing people flee from my sibling because he was different, piqued my interest.
For example, why would someone mistake autism for insanity? I know you're wondering why I'm saying all of this. Before I go any further, let me explain autism.
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterised by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour.
The signs usually begin before a child is three years old. Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics are complex.
It is unclear whether Asperger's syndrome disorder (ASD) one of the three recognised disorders is explained more by rare mutations or combinations of common genetic variants.
In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.
There are various types of autism disorders: Autistic Disorder or “classic autism”, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder or “atypical autism”
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2015), shows that Kenya has a population of about 40 million people.
The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 1 per cent of children in Kenya live with disabilities, including those with ASD, which translates to about 400,000 children with disabilities in Kenya.
The Kenya Occupational Therapists Association data shows there are 900 occupational therapists, which is below the WHO threshold of about 750 occupational therapists per a population of 1 million people (WHO Rehabilitation 2030, 2017).
This number is therefore not enough to address the needs of children with ASD and their caregivers.
Autism continues to be marred by myths and misconceptions.
Some communities view it as a curse, witchcraft and spiritual problem, rather than a disease like any other that can be professionally treated and managed.
What people don’t know is that even when autism limits a person’s intellectual ability it gives them a higher intelligence quotient than usual.
IQ measures specific things.
It measures skills that are important to society, it also measures the ability to make predictions, memory, and puzzle-solving ability that is, the ability to make connections and see patterns.
I believe autism should be treated equally as any other form of disability.
Normal! Let us not conform to the ways of our forefathers but the ways of the new generation. You matter so, can they!
Student at Multimedia University
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
