Nigeria: Focus - Why Parents Are in Denial of Autism

3 August 2014
opinion

Autism, which is a neurological base developmental disorder that limits a person's ability to communicate and relate with others, has for a long time in Nigeria been considered as a mental illness. However, a concerned expert, Mrs. Lola Aneke, the Executive Director of CADET Academy, whose school is dedicated to helping children with disabilities live a normal life; highlights why lack of awareness, ignorance and stigmatisation are the greatest obstacle to early detection and treatment of autism, writes Senator Iroegbu...

The maxim that ignorance is a disease, literally holds true when you look at the factors behind the spread of deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS and the ongoing nightmare called Ebola virus, which is currently ravaging some of the West African countries. For the above-mentioned pandemic and their likes, the driving force behind its unfortunate but sustainable longevity in Africa is rooted to ignorance, which can much be attributed to the prevalence of autism in Nigeria.

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