What You Don't Know About Autism

By
Oluwapelumi Solagbaade 

When many people hear the word "autism" what comes to their mind is imbeciles. Many people believe it is a disease caused by supernatural forces. To some, it a disability caused by poor parenting. First of all, these are all misconceptions.

Autism is a brain disability that affects the social and communication skills of the person affected. It can also be said to be a neurological disorder which surfaces during childhood and affects the individual's social interaction and ability to speak. 

It is characterized by repetitive behaviors, shyness, inability to communicate well, poor cognitive ability, little expressive language, attachment to unusual objects and poor eye contact. 

What causes autism?

Although, there is no major cause of autism, there are many factors that are linked to autism. One of them is heredity. In many families, there has been a pattern of the disorder. Research has confirmed that some families tend to have heredity factor which tends to cause autism among their offspring.

Another common factor associated with autism is prenatal factor. The risk of autism has increased with several prenatal factors like old age in either of the parents, use of psychiatric drugs, bleeding and diabetes during pregnancy. 

Do you know that, for every five boys that have autism, one girl has it? There are more than 170,000 children in Nigeria living with autism. Autism is now the third most prevalent disability in children in Nigeria. Current studies show that there will be more than 190,000 children with autism in Nigeria by the end of 2030. 

Savant syndrome comes with autism. Savant syndrome is an unexpected ability that comes with autism, making the individual have special talents in science, art and calculations. Many of the world's best artists, mathematicians and scientists are associated with autistic traits. 

Is there hope for autistic patients? 

For every illness, there is always a latent hope. Proper management of the symptoms of autism is a way to give a better quality of life for autistic patients. Do you know this management concerns you? In many cases where autistic patients suffer poor quality of life, it is as a result of the stigmatization and discrimination from people around them. 

We are part of the inclusive community autistic patients need. There is need for support from our side. Autistic patients life quality depends on what you do to them. 

Autism is not a disease, not contagious and not a death sentence. Autism is a disability that affects one's social and expressive ability. It is a disorder that we all can make better by our supporting the affected subjects.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breaking Barriers: Exclusive Interview with the Only Female Bus Driver on OAU Campus

By
Image
By Esther Ademola The Icons Organization, in collaboration with Great Ife Network, recently conducted an exclusive interview with Mrs. Elugbaju, the sole female driver on the OAU campus. Standing out as the only woman among the Towngboro drivers, Mrs. Elugbaju has sparked curiosity about her motivation. During the interview, she shared insights into her experiences and shed light on her journey as a female driver in a male-dominated field. Question : Can you introduce yourself? Mrs Elugbaju : My name is Mrs Elugbaju. I am one of the driver of buses in the campus, I'm the only lady. Question : How did you become a bus driver especially in a University like Obafemi Awolowo University? Mrs Elugbaju:  I'm a civil servant. This is just a part time job for me. After office hour like 5:00pm, I do bring my bus and I will be loading from campus to gate and from gate to Campus like around 7:30pm-8:00pm then I will go back. READ ALSO: OAU Secures Two Gold Medals in Judo at FA...
Read more

Fresher's Week'24: Students' Union Holds Freshers Inter-Faculty Debate

By
Image
By  Adetunji Oluwafemi The Great Ife Students’ Union on Monday, 3rd November 2024, held its planned inter-faculty debate for freshmen. The debate is part of the events that have been prepared for Fresher’s Week 2024. The event experienced a slight delay, as the venue was moved from the 1000-seater to Oduduwa Hall by the order of the school management, which requested that the initial venue be vacated because the office of the Vice President, responsible for the event, failed to seek permission before using it. The event began at 12:35 PM. Faculties were paired and assigned topics: the Faculty of Administration and Science had the topic "Corrupt Democracies are Preferable to Dictatorships"; the Faculty of Agriculture and Dentistry debated on the topic "Subsidy is a Necessary Compromise of the Government, and Should be Implemented in Areas of Essential Public Domains"; the Faculty of Arts and Technology had the topic "Civil Disobedience is a Moral Wea...
Read more

Nights of Horror: Men Invade Moremi Hostel At Night. Here's what they did

By
Image
MOREMI HALL: A Tale of Night Stories: When Will It End? In the quiet corridors of Moremi Hall, a disturbing series of events has shaken the residents, raising questions about security and the unknown intentions of an elusive intruder.   It all started two weeks ago when the inhabitants of Moremi Hall were awoken to the cry of a lady, "Ole! Ole! (the Yoruba name for thief). At exactly 5:00 am, a guy who was wearing a mask was seen darting across the corridors. He was said to have stolen phones, and while he tried to escape, he was seen by some ladies who raised the alarm.   An eyewitness who will like to remain anonymous said he ran out of the kitchen and jumped down from the second floor to the ground. He sustained minor injuries, and to reduce the chase, he let go of the phones, which he had put in black nylon.   The Moremi residents were able to recover their phones, but he escaped through a gutter, and no one knows where he went. The porters were informed i...
Read more