MONROVIA – Michael Gebeh, Deputy Director for Administration at the Arthur and Zwannah First Autism School, has called on philanthropists and Government to help contribute to the wellbeing of autistic children and the smooth running of the institution.
Report by David Yates, Contributor
Autism is a complex developmental disorder that primarily affects the human brain. It is characterized by the inability of affected persons to develop communication skill and normal social interactions, thereby hampering learning and other behaviors.
Mr. Gebeh, who spoke to this paper recently in Monrovia, said if the Arthur and Zwannah Autism School is well supported by national government and humanitarian groups, it will help create more awareness and enhance Autism therapy as well as improve interaction for persons living with the disability to be able to conform to society without stress.
“We are calling on humanitarian people to also support this initiative, because let us consider that these children who are the target groups need support like medical attention, vehicles and other assistance that will help us a lot in transforming they lives.
These children, according to him, can be worked on or provide skills training as well as contribute to their own welfare, if they are trained.
“Thought you may not have them behave like a normal human being but at least you will have them functioning very well because the training will help them contribute to their own welfare and by extension, it will help the society,” Gebeh added.
Gebeh explained that children with such deformities have lived in stigma, fear and as such been denied with education and equal parental love like the rest of the non-autistic children, but with the establishment of the institution in Liberia, “We are trying our best to help them to overcome such challenges.”
“It is time for all of us to accept children living with Autism in the society and give them the adequate resources needed to help them live an enabling life and that is why the Arthur and Zwannah Autism School has introduced lot of awareness in communities to bring on these children on board.
“For us at the school, our most cherished asset is the education and improved life of children living with autism and so we give them our best. We, therefore, strategies and develop programs to suit their interest’’, he said.
Mr. Gebeh explained that there were many parents who were keeping their autistic children at home for fear of being stigmatized and urged such parents to send their children to the school for better training.
He also commended the Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor for contribution to the institution and called for the support of individuals, philanthropists, and institutions to go to their aid to help develop the children.
Gebeh said as part of the institution own way of transforming the lives of these children, they are also training social and psychosocial workers to help cater to them.
Sonie Yassah Kennedy, one of the parents of the autistic children, commended the Arthur and Zwannah Autism School has helped build the confidence of the children and given hope to the parents that their children have unique talents that can be trained into a vocation in future.
The school, which is established in the facility of Abundance Grace School in Paynesville, outside Monrovia by a local non-governmental organization, “Straight from the Heart (SFTH)” is currently catering to 25 autistic children.
Meanwhile, the organization is supported by Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor as part of efforts to address children that are diagnosed with autism.