Wife of Lagos State governor, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has called for more support for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Mrs Sanwo-Olu stated this at the 14th Annual GTCO Autism Conference with the theme “A Spectrum Possibilities” yesterday in Lagos, saying people living with the condition frequently encounter challenges in communication and social interactions, making daily life tough.
She said, ”There is a need to create a society where people with autism can thrive and enhance their potential.” The first lady stated this while seeking a time when every community in Lagos State puts out pictorials and visual aids that will assist people with autism to navigate easily.
“Assume that the whole community has pictorials all over the place, like in our schools, mosques, churches, and universities. It will encourage more people to take part in these possibilities we are talking about.”
Mrs Sanwo-Olu encouraged parents to imbibe experts’ advice at the conference, adding that “the experts kept emphasizing keeping it simple and short. We need to spread love for children with autism. I must applaud parents, caregivers, and teachers for the wonderful work that they are doing to ensure that children with autism thrive. It’s not easy to care for our special needs children, as we need to adapt alternative communication skills and teaching styles to enable us to communicate with them.”
She applauded GTBank for deeming it fit to organise the autism programme for the past 14 years, adding, “It shows that it’s a very important issue.
It’s critical for us to put some continuity into ensuring that this conference is held every year”.
In the same vein, the group chief executive officer, GTCO, Mr Segun Agbaje, in the conference themed: “A Spectrum of Possibilities,” commended the efforts of the experts in this field and partner organisations who have continued to support the Orange Ribbon Initiative, an initiative aimed at supporting persons with developmental disabilities.
“A major component of this initiative is the annual GTCO Autism Conference, designed to amplify the challenges faced by individuals with ASD and provide practical support to help them integrate successfully into society,” he added.
Meanwhile, one of the participants, who is parenting a child with autism, expressed her gratitude for what she had learned at the conference. “I now know the reason why my daughter is behaving the way she does sometimes. I have learned from the experts how to communicate with her and help her bring out her potential,” she added.
