Inadequate hands hamper autism care - Guarantee Trust Bank votes funds for change
With over GH¢10 million investments and an assembly of medical doctors, consultants and counsellors, Guarantee Trust Bank (Ghana) Ltd will once again put the spotlight on the autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a congenital neurological disorder that has battered numerous families and pushed many into poverty.
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The bank, a subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), started the crusade many years ago, with Ghana joining two years ago. The intervention has produced countless outcomes of better care and management of autism cases, opening up a world of possibilities for children and wards living with autism.
The impact, eloquently advanced by parents and guardians of autistic children, is the heartwarming testimonies that almost soothe the pains of an otherwise tortuous mental and physically absorbing journey.
“I was so frustrated as a result of the heightened expenses I incurred monthly as a result of the special-needs school I enrolled my autistic daughter in. “Though I loved her so much, I couldn’t adequately care for her the way I loved to.
However, with the workshop, and subsequently the one-on-one consultation with the experts, I’m better positioned to effectively manage her condition from home,” a parent of a female child with autism, told the Daily Graphic.
It is one of the many testimonials from some families and schools that benefited from the workshops and face-to-face consultations facilitated by the Autism Workshop and Consultations, GT Bank Ghana’s biggest corporate social responsibility project.
The 2024 edition is set for Tuesday, July 23 to Saturday, July 27, at the Kofi Ohene-Konadu Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). The bank’s life-changing support is about managing children with autism, and about how easy it has become for carers and relatives to better understand and handle them after the workshop they attended last year and the one-on-one consultations with the specialists.
This year’s programme will be held on the theme: "A Spectrum of Possibilities", and seeks to promote inclusiveness and self-advocacy for all persons living with autism.
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Human resource
A specialist psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Peggy Asiedu Ekremet, has proposed the provision of adequate human resources as a major intervention to improve care for sufferers of autism in the country.
She explained that there were not adequate professionals to cater for the condition and sufferers in the country, and that the situation affected the development of the lives of people with the condition.
“There aren't a lot of professionals, mental health professionals, to be able to take care of everybody. So, I mean, human resource is one thing that we need to look at in terms of the psychiatrists, the paediatricians, the occupational therapists, the behavioural therapists and all those people.
“We need to have more of them (professionals) to be able to have the proper intervention that we need for them (autistic sufferers). So, it's a big challenge; we need to probably have interventions that will focus on them because there is a lot of stress taking care of a child with special needs,” Dr Ekremet stated.
Hope
Dr Ekremet said with proper care, some of the risks of having a child with autism could be reduced. “You can't avoid a genetic risk, but the obstetric ones, you can somewhat manage them with proper antenatal care, and it would decrease the risk,” she added.
The specialist psychiatrist said autism patients could excel in their endeavour depending on where they were on the spectrum. “There are actually people who are high functioning people on the spectrum.
I mean, when people think about autism, they think about the ones who can't talk and other things. There are people who are very successful accountants, doctors, and others, and they are functioning in their occupation.
And there are some who are very talented in mathematics and music,” she added.
Data, risk factors
While there is no local official data on the profiling of autistic sufferers in Ghana, one in every 100 children globally have autism, with the condition more common in whites than in blacks.
“There have been some studies to check the prevalence in some African countries, but it's not everybody that has figures for that”.
“In Nigeria, some studies have given a prevalence of about 2.3 per cent, In Uganda, it’s around 0.68 per cent, then Somalia 2.0 per cent, but in Ghana we don't have an official figure for that,” Dr Ekremet said.
Overwhelming stories
The Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Ltd, Thomas Attah John, said: “The Autism initiative is very dear to us as a bank. The stories of parents and caregivers are overwhelming and continue to serve as a lamp post showing us that this initiative is a critical one and has come to stay”.
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He added that as a socially responsible bank committed to serving its community, “we believe strongly that this programme is a turning point for families to have hope restored to them, and an avenue to improve upon the health and education of people, especially children, living with autism.”
“Society thrives when diverse individuals with their distinctive voices, perspectives and cultures are welcomed and celebrated. It is therefore important that persons on the ASD spectrum are empowered to embrace their uniqueness and experience life to its fullest while contributing meaningfully to society,” Mr John stressed.
Workshop, consultations
The Divisional Head, Corporate Communication and Experience, GTBank, Agnes Owusu-Afram, told the Daily Graphic that the event, the third in Ghana, would feature a workshop on the opening day, where there would be lectures and discussions on communications across the spectrum and autistic spectrum disorders, psychiatric comorbidities and inclusive education.
One-on-one consultations would then follow from Wednesday, July 24 to Saturday, July 27 at the same venue, starting from morning.
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“The free workshop and consultation will be led by a team of carefully selected specialists and subject-matter experts from within and outside Africa with years of experience,” Mrs Owusu-Afram stated.
The Divisional Head, Corporate Communication and Experience, added that like last year’s event, the 2024 edition would also bring together specialists, consultants and partner organisations from Ghana, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and North America who are specialised in speech therapy, behaviour analysis, occupational therapy, psychology, special education needs speciality and psychiatry, among others, to offer insightful knowledge.
“All families, individuals, parents and caregivers are encouraged to actively participate in this five-day programme and benefit from the wealth of experience that it offers,” Mrs Owusu-Afram said.