Total Acceptance & Inclusion: Parent of Child With Autism Shares Story on World Autism Awareness Day

"Our daughter was receiving support at a particular center. Then, at a point, it looked like her needs were not being catered for in that center, so there was a need for us as parents to set up a center which will address the needs of our [daughter]. Then later, we expanded it to cover similar children who have such challenges. It's a parent initiative trying to solve or meet the needs of our child," Kuffour told Sputnik Africa.

"When we got our diagnosis, we decided that we would let the world know our child's condition. We will let the world know that there are people among us who have also been created this way by no fault of theirs, by no fault of parents; that is how they are," he noted, adding that "some people in Africa and other people are also sharing their children's stories, helping to create awareness. So I must say that there has been a steady progress, but there's more room for improvement; there's a lot we still have to do."

"When your child is diagnosed with autism [...] you may have to seek the support of speech therapists, an occupational therapist, behavior therapists, and physical therapists, and all these are very expensive services. [...] So the first one, as far as our part of the world is concerned, is financial constraint. The second one is stigma. A lot of the parents feel shy to even let people know that they have children with such conditions, and it is because of the way society sees this condition. [...] I think the next one, I would say, is the lack of specialized teaching and learning resources to help meet the needs of our children," he explained.

"We need to advocate for these children to be accepted; for these children to be included in our society. [...] You, as a parent, should be able to overcome self-stigma and then be able to advocate for the rights of your child," Kuffour emphasized.

"These are people with unique abilities; they have strengths, they have areas of weaknesses just as us. Just as we who are neurotypical, we also have strengths and weaknesses. Neurodivergents also have areas of strength and challenge, and therefore do not need to be discriminated against. They need to be supported to be able to address their needs," Kuffour noted.

"I think the first one is public education to raise awareness of the existence of autism and understand the condition. When we engage in this public education and meaningfully explain to people for them to understand the condition, it will help counteract the misconceptions and misunderstandings, or misinterpretations of what autism is. [...] It should be done all over Africa. [...] The second thing is that I think there must be acceptance. We need to accept the fact that there is another group of people who are neurodivergent," he said.

"The third thing is advocacy for the rights of people living with autism. In my country, where there is free education, I expect that. This free education service should be extended to children with autism. [...] Finally, I encourage inclusion. We should practice inclusion in all our institutions. That is our schools, our communities, and our workplaces. Persons or children with autism should not be discriminated against. Our institutions should embrace them, institutions should have policies that allow them access to education opportunities," he stressed.

"Total acceptance of people with autism by first their families, [it] is very, very, very important; we need to accept them by our communities and the entire society. That is the total acceptance. The second one is that we need to support them to meet their needs. [...] We need to love them as God's creations with unique abilities. These are God's creations, and they also need to be loved, just as we expect other people to love us. So on this occasion, I am advocating that we should extend a hand of love to every child, every person living with autism. And finally, I pray that we practice inclusion in all our institutions," he concluded.