![]() Mundia says that autistic children are unique and that parents need to embrace their uniqueness. She created a Facebook page, “My journey with Autism,” to showcase her daughter’s milestones and modelling talent. Mary Amoah Kuffour, a DTSK member and founder of Klicks Africa Foundation based in Accra, Ghana, says she felt better after she began appreciating the uniqueness of her daughter. Mungui’s son is a talented musician he will sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education this year.įifteen-year-old Nana Yaa is a fashion and beauty model. Many children with ASD grow up to excel in careers based in visual skills, music, math and art. The experience inspired her to cofound the Lovewins Autism Centre in Nairobi in 2014. Without access to educational facilities suitable for children with autism, Ms. He walked at 18 months, had not uttered a word at age 3 and was extremely hyperactive,” Ms. “Like other autistic children, autism condition is characterised by delayed milestones. Mungui was not too worried, assuming, wrongly, that autism was a curable medical condition. ![]() Doctors later told her that her extended labour might have caused anoxia (lack of oxygen) in the child, triggering autistic symptoms. She recalls complications during childbirth. The organization’s members share experiences on social media platforms.Įsther Njeri Mungui has a 14-year-old autistic son. Later, in 2014, she helped set up the Differently Talented Society of Kenya, a psychosocial support group for parents of autistic children. An occupational therapist recommended sensory integration and speech therapy for the child. “In Kenya there are no diagnostic facilities, and no guidelines exist on treatment or interventions, which leaves parents to ignorantly make decisions on the best interventions,” notes Ms. “Although I had heard a bit about autism, I never imagined I would have to deal with the condition in any of my children,” she told Africa Renewal. Mundia did not know much about the condition. Like many parents in similar circumstances, Ms. Take the case of Alice Mundia, whose son was diagnosed with autism in 2004. ![]() That is higher than the global average, which is one in 160 children (less than 1%), according to 2018 statistics by the World Health Organisation.Įxamples abound of parents seeking guidance from the mass of medical studies, research and popular press articles about autism. Official data on autism prevalence in Kenya are not available, but the Autism Society of Kenya (ASK), a parent-driven organisation established in 2013, believes it could be up to 4%, or one autistic child for every 25 children. The good news is that the situation for children with autism and their parents is slowly changing, thanks to increasing awareness about the disorder, complemented by the efforts of affected families to band together to share information and experiences. Autistic children were confined to their homes and young adults taken to psychiatric institutions. At one time in Kenya, autism was associated with mental illness, curses or witchcraft. These autistic disorders include early infantile autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact-can be a great burden for parents of affected children, especially in parts of the world such as Kenya where information about this condition is insufficient or hard to find.įirst identified 70 years ago, the name changed from simply “autism” to ASD to include a wider range of complex deficits and difficulties with social interaction and communication.
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