Introduction to Autism Awareness
Child right advocates, educators and caregivers have called for inclusive opportunities for children living with autism and other special needs to enable them achieve their full potential and contribute to society. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders made the call at a “Meet and Greet’ event in Abuja.
Celebrating Achievement
It was an occasion to celebrate Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, a 15-year-old Nigerian autistic artist who recently broke the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the Largest Painting, as the latest world’s largest art canvas by an individual. Tagbo-Okeke, had on April 2, unveiled the awe-inspiring canvas titled: “Impossibility is a Myth,” measuring 12,303 square meters, surpassing a previous 9,652 square meter record held by Emad Salehi.
The Event
The event tagged “The Back-Story”, brought together representatives of civil society groups, artistes, stakeholders in the arts and culture sector and friends and family of the ace artist. According to the stakeholders, while Tagbo-Okeke is being celebrated for his ingenuity and exceptional feat in arts, there is need to reflect on the challenges children with special needs face in Nigeria.
Call to Action
Mohammad Sulaiman, President, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), said the association was offering equal opportunities for talented young artistes to thrive irrespective of their background. He, however, lamented that both government and relevant institutions have not realised the place of the artists in nation building, hence they provide little or no support for them. “I would want to say that this actually marks the beginning of a very eventful period in Nigeria’s art life. However, what Nigeria has not done, unfortunately, is that it has not been deliberate about looking at arts. The government must be very deliberate especially in these unique areas that are beginning to make impact, like autistic ones, and put funds into those areas,” he said.
Raising Awareness
Helen Neete, an Art Instructor, said many Nigerians still have little or no knowledge of the Autism spectrum, and therefore have a polarised view of autistic children. “I believe that these individuals are specially touched by God, and I don’t think they have special needs. I think they have special abilities and each of them has his own form of expression; for some, it’s music, for others, it’s writing, and then those in visual art. One of the reasons why individuals on the spectrum are pushed aside is the lack of sensitisation and awareness in our society. Nobody goes into motherhood or parenthood thinking that they will have a child on the spectrum, and many people don’t even ask if this happens to me, what do I do? So, when you are just faced with this individual, and you don’t know what to do, so the first thing to do is that we as a society we have to educate ourselves,” she said.
Personal Experience
Also, the mother of the young artist, Dr Sylvia Tagbo-Okeke, said children with special needs require individualised care, attention, and accommodations for them to feel included and motivated to manifest their God-given talents. According to her, the journey of her son to stardom was that of resilience, determination and sacrifices by the family. She, therefore, called on parents with autistic children not to give up, adding that society, especially in the Nigerian setting, needs to be more empathetic and understanding with children who have special needs. “For parents that have special needs children, I always tell them never to give up on their child or lose hope. No matter how bad, if you keep at it, if you are patient, if you show love, at least they will be able to move from a point A point B and to a point C. You will deal with stigmatisation, discrimination and with people that do not have empathy, because in this society, you have the good, the bad, and the ugly. For us as a family, we have met some good people as well that have encouraged us, and then we have met some very bad ones that have made us feel very bad. But what we decided that we are not going to dwell on those bad, because we have a motto that autism is not a tragedy, ignorance is,” she said.
Conclusion
The story of Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusive opportunities for children with special needs. It is essential for society to educate themselves and be more empathetic and understanding towards individuals with autism. By providing equal opportunities and support, we can help them achieve their full potential and contribute to society.
FAQs
Q: What is autism?
A: Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior.
Q: What are the challenges faced by children with special needs in Nigeria?
A: Children with special needs in Nigeria face challenges such as lack of inclusive opportunities, stigmatisation, discrimination, and lack of awareness and understanding from society.
Q: How can we support children with special needs?
A: We can support children with special needs by providing individualised care, attention, and accommodations, and by being more empathetic and understanding towards them.
Q: What is the importance of raising awareness about autism?
A: Raising awareness about autism is essential to educate society and reduce stigmatisation and discrimination towards individuals with autism.
