Ahead autism conference, parents narrate experiences managing children with special needs

Solape Azazi, a mother and founder of Cradle Lounge Special Needs Initiative has narrated how she transitioned from a full-time career in human resources (HR) to behaviour analysis (BA) for the sake of her child with special needs.

Mrs Azazi, a mother of two boys, said her first son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age three despite attaining the stages of child development after birth.

She shared her experiences emphasising the need for inclusion of people with autism at a media briefing Thursday ahead of the 14th edition of the Annual Autism Conference organised by Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO).

Mrs Azazi, who is billed to moderate one of the panel discussions at the conference, shared how the GTCO Autism programme empowered her with the right information and network of professionals when she started the autism journey with her son who is now 10 years old.

She said: “Seven years ago, I came for the first time to the GTCO conference, like a lot of people looking for answers because I just started the autism journey with my son. We were looking for support and navigation.

“For me, it was a clear mark of direction. It is important to attend this conference, it is an opportunity to meet people and speak with professionals.

“I’m grateful through it all. I have a background in HR, and now I am a behavioural analyst because I have decided to focus my attention and energy on helping better the state of autism and autism-related issues” .

Regressive autism

In a special interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs Azazi, who is also an author of the children’s book: “My Friend Has Autism” and an IBCCES Certified Autism specialist, explained how they discovered autism in her son who now paints “spectacularly.”

“So my son had met all the milestones to meet as a child. He developed the way a baby should develop and met all the milestones, he walked when he should walk, and talked when he should talk,” she said.

“At 18 months, he had fewer words, at 20 months, no words and by the time he started talking again, his speech ability degenerated and then we discovered it was regressive autism. He had lost all the skills that he had with his development and regressed into autism.”

Regressive autism refers to children who have normal development until the age of one to two years, after which there is a loss of language, social interaction, and other developmental milestones.

She said: “When we discovered, I went through a lot of emotions, from questioning myself, why me? Why him? We have a large family and out of all the children, my son is the first with autism, it was a lot of emotion to take.

“For me, as a young bride, not knowing what to do, I had depression but in all of it, I had to get myself in order and I had to believe it is not my fault. I had to see my child first and now he is growing.

“I am a keynote speaker and I go out to share my stories. I’ve written a book to teach children about autism and produced a documentary on navigating autism in Nigeria. I also go to communities to speak with parents about it.”

Mrs Azazi encouraged parents on the autism spectrum to give their children with special needs the support and attention needed to thrive.

“Give the children with special needs the opportunity to thrive. My son now paints. I just let him thrive in that area instead of forcing him to do something else,” she said.

Another story

Also speaking on her experience, Bode Abifarin, a mother of twin boys on the spectrum underscored the need for knowledge and the ability to pay attention to the special needs of children with autism.

Mrs Abifarin is the author of ‘The Boys With The Happy Feet Dance,’ which sheds light on ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.

She said: “Knowledge is critical and essential. I have followed the conference over time and there is always something to take away. One of the things I have realised in my journey is the ability to listen even when nothing is being said, so with all clarity of mind, these children are on their journey but they require time.

“I was inspired to write a book and it was about how we went from learning piano to participating in a concert for two years now, how they went from screaming at the pool to being great swimmers contesting with other children.

“The possibilities are endless. For me, I won’t naturally come out to share my story but I was inspired by the story of a father at one of the previous conferences that shared his story and the things he was doing for his kids.”

More about GTCO Autism programme

The GTCO Autism Programme is a flagship project under the Orange Ribbon Initiative, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Guaranty Trust Bank focused on advocacy programmes to support children with developmental disabilities.

The 14th conference themed: “A Spectrum of Possibilities” is scheduled to hold on 15 and 16 July in Lagos.

It will also feature free one-on-one consultations from scheduled to take place between 16 and 20 July at the Chapel of Light, Alausa Ikeja.

Commenting on the 2024 conference, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, Segun Agbaje, said: “Everyone has something special to offer, and we want to help individuals with autism succeed and lead healthy, supportive lives.

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“By embracing autism as a strength, and not a weakness, we can help individuals with ASD find their passion, develop skills, and make a meaningful impact in society.

The programme will feature lectures, panel discussions, and performances to showcase the diverse talents that exist in the autism community.