The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Barnawa, Kaduna, has identified parental care and awareness as the best optimal management strategies for autism, while calling for assistance from the federal government in managing the disease.
The hospital’s head of clinical services, Dr. David Ewoada, disclosed this Friday during the inauguration of the Autism Solution Centre in Kaduna.
He said: “Funding of mental health challenges has always been a problem because most people who had mental health challenges cannot fund the medications, in most cases friends and well wishers would have to come in.
“We are pleading with the government to assist in making funds available for effective management of autism in Nigeria even though as professionals we can do the non-biological treatment, which is mostly without drugs.”
Speaking on the solution centres, the consultant and head of child and adolescent, Unit Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, Dr. Folorunsho Nuhu, said: “Although the event today is low key, but we just feel we have to start and now that we have started we will build on the successes.
“This is the first of its kind in the Northern Nigeria, this will create awareness for the parents, teachers and students, a lot of people do not know that autism even exist, I call on parent who have children that exhibits such strange altitude of not socialising, difficulty in talking and so many others to come to the Hospital for proper counseling as going to prayer houses and traditional herbal medicines won’t work for autism.”
On effective management of autism, Dr. Asabe Omokaro said, ‘’for drug management you can see instant results, those mal-adaptive behaviors like biting themselves, swinging their hands and running up and down can be managed pharmacologically and we have seen good results.
“The other aspect is a challenge because it is multi tasking educationists, psychologists, speech and language therapist and nutritionist for good referral system.’’
