Mother calls for specialized doctors on the island and more support for autistic children
The mother of an autistic child on Brava, Nataniela Monteiro, today called for more support for mothers and relatives of children with special needs in the municipality, since the island has no specialized doctors.
Nataniela Monteiro made this appeal, speaking to Inforpress on the sidelines of an open awareness talk with 5th and 6th graders at the Sena Barcelos School.6th grade students at the Sena Barcelos School in Nova Sintra, which it organized and had as guests psychologists from the Health Precinct and ICCA.
As you pointed out, in Brava there are some psychologists who help, but there are no specialized professionals to provide the support that an autistic person needs.
Nataniela Monteiro said she doesn't blame the teachers who find it difficult to deal with these children, as even the "so-called normal" kids are giving schools a hard time.
"In my case, when my son was two and a half years old, I began to notice a difference in his behavior, as he always wanted to be more isolated and didn't like to play with the other children," she said.
She then emphasized that at the time she went to see a doctor and also began to research the reason for her child's different behavior.
In this sense, she reported that she looked for specialists, namely pediatricians and psychologists, and finally managed to get a private consultation in the city of Praia, with a neurologist and it was from there that she learned of the child's diagnosis.
"I appeal to those in authority to pay more attention to this island and to help us with specialist doctors, which we don't have on Brava, with therapies, or to train teachers who can help us in the development of our children," he said.
For her part, the psychologist from the Cape Verdean Institute for Children and Adolescents (ICCA), Rosana Sousa, explained that autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by alterations in communication, social interaction and behaviour.
According to the psychologist, no person becomes autistic, but is born with autism, and on the island there are some children with this disability who attend school and are always monitored by professionals from the Multidisciplinary Support Team for Inclusive Education (EMAEI).
"Many parents and guardians do not usually accept their child's diagnosis and this ends up hindering the development of the autistic child, so I appeal to all family members and colleagues to raise awareness and have more respect for an autistic person and when it is accepted, it will help in their development," she concluded.
World Autism Awareness Day, created by the United Nations in 2007 as a way to increase public awareness of autism, was celebrated today under the slogan "Information breeds empathy, empathy breeds respect".
