In a little over two weeks, the Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) at the North-West University (NWU), together with Autism South Africa (A; SA), will host their sixth National Autism Symposium. The South African Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions will again join as a supporting partner. The annual symposium has grown into a unique platform that brings academics and professionals who work with autism together and offers people on the autism spectrum and their families the opportunity to share their experiences.
This year’s symposium will take place online from 2 to 4 September. It will offer support to families, parents, medical staff, social workers and employers involved with children and adults on the autism spectrum.
Stepping back to basics to step ahead in excellence
The Covid-19 pandemic caused disruption to many essential services for autistics and their families. During 2020, uncertainty and inconsistency caused emotional dysregulation for all affected and for those researching or working in the sphere of mental health, neurodevelopmental disorders and social health. This year the turbulence has settled slightly, and everyone could take a step back to assess what is still effective and what needs to change in our lives. Juliet Carter (director of Autism South Africa) says that surprisingly many gains became evident. Still, weaknesses were also exposed in services across the country. It is vital to share our experiences and learn from our mistakes.
“Two things we have learned from the symposiums are, firstly, that people living with autism are the true experts, and that their contribution is valuable in promoting a positive attitude towards neurodiversity,” says Hanlie Degenaar, a speech-language therapist at the CHHP. “Secondly, healthy families are critical to face adversity and bounce back in the face of setbacks.” The programme for this year’s symposium was therefore carefully crafted to offer the information parents, families, and autistics were asking for. It is evident that everyone has to take a good look at the basics of supporting neurodiverse persons to find the best collaborative way to step ahead in excellence in future.
This symposium is an event for all and is unlike any other conference. Driving this unique platform are the words of Melt Olckers, an autistic adult, at a previous symposium when he said that “Just as autistics need to listen to professionals, they in turn also have to listen to autistics. Therefore, we must have a symbiotic relationship. A relationship that can go both ways. We can teach them about us, and in turn, they can teach us the skills we need.” Sharing diverse knowledge and experiences with openness and acceptance is what the organisers are striving for. Emile Gouws, one of the autistic attendees of last year’s event, says each speaker contributed in their own unique manner and added value to expand the knowledge of people who surround themselves with autism daily.
Families with neurodiverse members are resilient. They have learned to adjust expectations and face their fears and alienation. They are practised at persisting, moving forward and getting to creative solutions. Above all, they have learned to celebrate gains and successes. Robert Naseef, psychologist and the father of an autistic son, wrote that things that would benefit autistic people at home, work and school would also benefit everyone else. At this year’s event, we must celebrate what we can learn from these families and strengthen the weaknesses in the support we provide to them.
The organisers also accommodated requests for practical workshops on building resilience for life, emotional regulation for non-speakers, play, behaviour regulation, communication with Makaton, toileting and feeding management issues.
More information on the event is available from https://sites.google.com/g.nwu.ac.za/nationalautismsymposium/home.
Interesting facts about autism
Autism is not a rare condition – the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 59 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder.
It is about four times more common among boys than among girls. In addition, researchers are finding that girls present with symptoms that may differ from those found in boys, leading to later diagnosis.
Autism can be diagnosed reliably as early as at the age of two years, and many parents will raise concerns before a child’s first birthday. Still, most children are only being diagnosed after the age of four years.
Every child with autism is unique. Therefore, people with autism differ as much from each other as all people do.
Research has shown that nearly two-thirds of children with autism aged 6 to 15 years have been bullied.
People on the autism spectrum often live in the moment, rarely judge others, and are genuinely passionate about their interests.
Families of youngsters on the autism spectrum often describe the profound positive impact – of course, along with many challenges – that having a person with autism in the family had on their perceptions and beliefs. Instead of buying into all the “should have and should do” rules of modern society, they appreciate every small achievement and live in the moment.
A diagnosis of autism is also linked to an increased risk of having mental health difficulties, with, for example, anxiety affecting 10 to 40% of children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.
Although new treatments for autism are being researched, no medication has been identified that treats the core symptoms of autism. However, medicines can be used to treat conditions associated with autism, such as anxiety.
Getting to know a person with autism is not that difficult – allow them a bit of extra time to respond in conversations and enjoy their different perspective on the world.
