Solape Azazi, a mother and founder of Cradle Lounge Special Needs Initiative, has shared how she transitioned from a full-time career in human resources (HR) to behaviour analysis (BA) for the sake of her special needs son.
Ms Azazi, a mother of two, said her first child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three, despite having reached the milestones of childhood development after birth.
She shared her experiences emphasizing the need for inclusion of people with autism at a press conference on Thursday ahead of the 14th Annual Autism Conference hosted by Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO).
Ms. Azazi, who will be moderating one of the conference's panel discussions, shared how GTCO's autism program empowered her with the right information and network of professionals when she began the autism journey with her son, who is now 10 years old.
She said: “Seven years ago, I first came to the GTCO conference, like many people looking for answers because I was just starting the autism journey with my son. We were looking for support and guidance.
“For me it was a clear direction. It is important to attend this congress, it is an opportunity to meet people and talk to professionals.
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“I am grateful for everything. I have a background in Human Resources and now I am a behavior analyst because I decided to focus my attention and energy on helping improve the situation of autism and autism-related issues.”
Regressive autism
In a special interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Ms Azazi, who is also the author of the children’s book, “My Friend Has Autism” and an IBCCES-certified autism specialist, explained how they discovered autism in her son, who now paints “spectacularly.”
“So my son had reached all the milestones that are expected of a child. He developed like a baby should and reached all the milestones, he walked when he was supposed to walk and he talked when he was supposed to talk,” she said.
“At 18 months, he was speaking less, at 20 months, he was not speaking at all, and when he started speaking again, his ability to speak degenerated and then we discovered that it was regressive autism. He had lost all the skills he had with his development and had regressed to autism.”
Regressive autism refers to children who have normal development until the age of one to two years, after which there is a loss of language, social interaction, and other developmental milestones.
She said: “When we found out, I went through a lot of emotions, from questioning myself, why me? Why him? We have a big family and out of all the children, my son is the first with autism, it was a huge emotion.
“In my case, when I was a young bride and didn’t know what to do, I suffered from depression, but in the midst of all that, I had to put myself in order and believe that it wasn’t my fault. First I had to see my son and now he’s growing up.
“I am a keynote speaker and I go out to share my stories. I have written a book to teach children about autism and produced a documentary on how to deal with autism in Nigeria. I also go into communities to talk to parents about the issue.”
Ms Azazi encouraged parents on the autism spectrum to provide their children with special needs with the support and care they need to thrive.
“Let’s give special needs children the opportunity to develop. My son now paints. I just let him develop in that area instead of forcing him to do something else,” she said.
Another story
Also speaking from her experience, Bode Abifarin, mother of twin boys with autism, stressed the need for knowledge and the ability to pay attention to the special needs of children with autism.
Ms. Abifarin is the author of 'The Boys With The Happy Feet Dance', which sheds light on ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.
She said: “Knowledge is fundamental and essential. I have followed the conference over time and there is always something to learn. One of the things I have discovered in my journey is the ability to listen even when nothing is being said, so in all clarity of mind, these children are on their way, but they need time.
“I was inspired to write a book about how we went from learning piano to performing in a concert for two years, how we went from screaming in the pool to being great swimmers competing with other kids.
“The possibilities are endless. Sharing my story doesn’t come naturally to me, but I was inspired by the story of a father who attended one of the previous conferences and shared his story and the things he was doing for his children.”
More about GTCO's autism program
The GTCO Autism Program is a flagship project of the Orange Ribbon Initiative, a Guaranty Trust Bank Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative focused on advocacy programs to support children with developmental disabilities.
The 14th conference, entitled “A Spectrum of Possibilities”, will be held on 15 and 16 July in Lagos.
There will also be free individual consultations taking place between 16th and 20th July at the Chapel of Light, Alausa Ikeja.
Commenting on the 2024 conference, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Group CEO Segun Agbaje said: “Everyone has something special to offer and we want to help people with autism succeed and lead healthy, supportive lives.
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“By embracing autism as a strength, not a weakness, we can help people with ASD find their passion, develop skills, and make a meaningful impact on society.
The programme will include lectures, panel discussions and performances to showcase the diverse talents that exist in the autistic community.