The Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has said with autism rates on the increase around the world, it is pertinent to ramp up the support available to persons with autism and their families.
Speaking at the 2023 GTCO Autism conference, Group Chief Executive Officer, Guaranty Trust Holding Plc, Mr Segun Agbaje, said,
“As the programme of events will show, persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder have remarkable creativity and aptitude for learning that can be identified and nurtured with early diagnosis and treatment interventions, which ultimately lead to better long-term outcomes. We will also benefit from the personal experience of individuals who have triumphed over the limitations of ASD, forging exciting careers from their passion. Through their examples, we will learn that with the right support and opportunities the possibilities are indeed boundless. We are therefore reminded of our responsibility to advocate for the environment, supportive networks, and resources that enable individuals on the autism spectrum to thrive.”
The conference, an offshoot of the Orange Ribbon Initiative, titled, ‘Empowering voices for autism,’ was held in Lagos, on July 24 and 25, 2023.
One of the speakers, a Canada-based Board certified behavior analyst, Mr Lanre Duyile, who spoke on ‘Executive functioning and autism,’ said, “A lot of time we talk about being able to support people with autism and we just want them to be like us. We want to get them to do things that other kids who do not have autism are doing but that is a difficult thing to do because the brain of those people is wired differently.
“The way they see things are different, from the way they process information. One of the things I was trying to address in the presentation is the essential function of skills, they take those things for granted.
“We need to teach people how to communicate with them and how we can understand them, otherwise, we will always have problems with them.”
Also, Autism and special education expert, Dr Brain Boyd who spoke on ‘Understanding the neurodiverse minds: A focus on repetitive behaviours in autism,’ said, “Autism is a condition that should be accepted because it has always been and will always be among people.”
Whitney Anny made a presentation on ‘Sensory processing and autism, and Speech pathologist, Tomi Odeleye creatively discussed ‘communication and social skills,’ among several other speakers.
