After giving birth to two healthy boys, it never crossed Mary Amoah Kuffour’s mind that her only daughter could have a medical condition. At the young age of three, Nana Yaa began exhibiting unusual behavior. She barely spoke and would flap her hands in frustration. Year after year, Mary sought explanations for her daughter’s behavior. When Nana Yaa turned six, doctors finally diagnosed her with autism.

Autism is a medical condition that affects brain development and cognitive abilities, ranging from mild to severe, and affects one in every hundred children according to the World Health Organization. While the condition has no known cause, in Ghana, as in many parts of the world, children with autism are often labeled as “spiritual children” or products of witchcraft.

“It comes as a shock, especially when you ask if there’s something you could do. Do they have any medications? Because you don’t see any visible signs on the child to say that he or she has any form of disability and so for this to be termed as a disability it’s shocking,” says Mary. “When you ask and they tell you there’s no cure, nobody wants to hear that.”

Nana Yaa now learns basic life skills with her teacher thanks to early intervention programs.

Afi Antonio, founder of the Afi Antonio Foundation, is working hard to break the stigma surrounding autism. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts one in every hundred children, but awareness is low in many parts of the world, including Ghana.

“When I started, some people were like, ‘Afi, you are yet to have children so be careful associating with these children so you don’t have a child like that,’” recalls Antonio. “It’s really sad that people will even think that way because autism is not contagious. A lot also say that they are cursed children. As of now, we still have people who kill their children when they are born with these conditions.”

Children like Nana Yaa, who benefit from early intervention, often go on to live full and happy lives. Indeed, some traits of ASD have been linked to genius. Many experts believe that acclaimed scholars such as Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton had ASD.

“Many of them will do well, it depends on what you do for them, especially early on in life. If they get the therapy early, get all the support early, they are able to do generally well and become productive adults,” says Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, a childcare specialist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

While there is no clear cause for autism, researchers in the U.S. and Sweden have found a link between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and an increased risk of the condition in babies. Dangerous toxins in the air, called fine particulate matter, seep into the bloodstream of pregnant mothers and can affect the brain development of the baby at key stages.

“During the first trimester, certain environmental exposures affect various parts of the baby’s formation,” says Dr. Promise Sefogah, an Obstetrician-Gynecologist at the Shape Healthcare Medical Center. “When the woman gets exposed to pollutants in the air, they tend to affect the brain-related development or the nervous system development of the baby and that can lead to a lot of brain-related abnormalities in the baby.”

Beyond affecting intellectual abilities, children with autism can be more vulnerable to air pollution, causing allergies and sensory problems. Health experts say air pollution, particularly from activities like open burning and vehicular emissions, also exposes children to the risk of other serious cognitive and brain development problems.

Despite government efforts to tackle air pollution and improve air quality, the problem is worsening. Accra, Africa’s fastest-growing city, faces increasing pollution from open burning, transportation, and factory emissions. In places like Agbogbloshie, one of Ghana’s largest informal settlements, pollution from open-air burning is rampant.

The government has initiated public awareness campaigns in Agbogbloshie, provided a drop-off point for discarding waste electronics, and promoted the separation of plastics to facilitate recycling. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other stakeholders are monitoring air quality in highly polluted areas, including Agbogbloshie, to alert Ghanaians about the dangerous levels of pollution daily. They are also reviewing air quality management regulations and working on a plan to tackle road transport pollution, particularly from minibuses, known as trotros, in Accra.

While the government does its part, health experts advise pregnant women to avoid highly polluted areas. If they must go, they should always wear nose masks to protect themselves and their babies from the risks of air pollution.

Source by www.ghanaweb.com