If your child was displaying traits of autism would you know? Many people do not know basic signs like not making eye contact, talking less often, and flapping their fingers, are all common behaviors for people with autism as they seek to calm themselves. Luckily, Mary Gachoki, a 34-year-old single mom, took a class in college where she learned about autism spectrum disorder. Originally, she was in denial, so when she got the news it felt shocking. She needed support for her son. She needed to know he would be okay. Many parents dealing with their child’s diagnosis quickly become worried and feel that their child’s life is ruined.
Although autism can make daily tasks very difficult, parents must learn to accept their children for who they are and support them throughout their life. When parents themselves take the time to learn about autism and start to understand how their child thinks, they will have a better chance of helping and accepting their child.
Many parents struggle with finding reliable information and affordable solutions when their child is diagnosed. Countries throughout the world, like Africa where Gachoki lived, have extremely limited resources. These limited resources are a primary reason for why many kids do not get diagnosed in the first few years of their life. If children were diagnosed earlier in their life, research has shown that there is a huge difference in outcomes of people with autism.
Gachoki found that providing her son with the support she wanted to give him was very hard to accomplish. Any outside programs were too expensive, and there were no programs in his public school. As if this wasn’t bad enough, her son’s teacher also began to point a crane at her son if he was moving too much. Many parents are not able to afford programs for their children, and can often feel like they have failed their child, even if they are doing all they can. Many have also urged the government to give specialized materials for teachers and students and financial aid for parents of children with autism. Although you may not be individually impacted with this issue, consider thinking about it and share these points with others so we can help everyone get all of the support they need.
Check out more about Gachoki at: https://bnnbreaking.com/world/kenya/in-kenya-mothers-like-mary-gachoki-confront-autism-with-courage-amid-stigma-and-scarce-
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