50% of children with disabilities in Region 5 are autistic – SEN official

Every April Guyana joins the rest of the world in observing World Autism Month during which emphasis is placed on providing opportunities to increase the understanding and acceptance of people living with autism.
Autism is a developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.

However, Education Officer with responsibility for Special Education Needs (SEN) in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Akeshia Benjamin related that 50 per cent of children living with disabilities in that Region are on the autism spectrum.
In Region Five, more than half of the 70 children who have been diagnosed with a disability are also diagnosed with autism.
On Wednesday, the Region Five Education Department SEN hosted an autism acceptance symposium for parents who have special needs children, other parents and teachers, at the Number 8 Primary School, West Coast Berbice.
The objective of the event was to advocate for better support for persons with autism through alliance building and public awareness.
Benjamin related that many people were not aware of some of the challenges that persons with this disorder face, adding that it was hoped through such programmes it would pave the way for the SEN unit. This will assist to advance SEN work in the delivery of the services offered to children, and provide an avenue for teachers, parents, and members of the public to be sensitised to autism as a category of disabilities many are faced with.

“I think that the goal of this activity is pertinent and it coincides with our theme: “celebrating our differences through awareness, through acceptance and support for persons with disabilities – especially autism”,” Benjamin explained.
She said the month was generally used to embrace students, children, or even adults who have autism spectrum disorders. The department, she noted, objectively embraces this as part of advocacy in its commitment to continually and actively improve the quality of education for children who have special educational needs and disabilities.
“We see it as challenges that persons are faced with, and support mechanisms, services, coping strategies and activities as well as material that can be used to support our children with autism as well as adults are needed,” the Education Officer said.
Meanwhile, the region is expected to get a school bus for those on the SEN programme.
Benjamin said this would be greatly appreciated because on many occasions the attendance rate was poor owing to a lack of adequate transportation to get the children to and from school.
Systems are also being put in place for a building to be constructed in the region to house a special education school.