Autism in Ghana – I Want My Child to be Happy
By Martha Afriyie
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
By Martha Afriyie
Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
My name is Martha and I am a mother of a two (almost three) year old who has autism. I started noticing the signs when she was about a year old but it wasn't until she was two that we finally had a diagnosis of ASD. The delay in diagnosis was partly due to the fact that in our part of the world (I am in Ghana), autism is a fairly unknown condition even to the medical practitioners.
As I said, right from the onset, I knew there was something wrong with my daughter. She is an absolute beauty and so people often refused to look beyond her big eyes and wonderful smile and assumed that I was exaggerating.
Getting the diagnosis didn't make matters easy. It meant my worst fear had been confirmed and I felt that I was just having a bad dream. There were moments of anger, frustration and disappointment. I had so many questions that I couldn't find answers to, and to make matters worse, my family didn't understand the full implications of the diagnosis.
The internet became my source of information with several visits to autismspeaks.org every day. I have found the information on your site very useful, but sometimes remote since I can't relate to all the information due to the lack of infrastructure and support for individuals with autism here in Ghana.
I was introduced to a woman who has set up a school for children who have autism, here in Ghana. Her name is Mrs. Serwaa Quainoo. She has a son with autism; he is the inspiration behind the establishment of the school. The school is such a wonderful place and the passion and dedication of the staff is just amazing. Autism Awareness, Care and Training Centre is the only known institution for children who have autism in the whole West African sub-region and this school has transformed my daughter's life. I am forever grateful to the teachers, caregivers and staff of this school.
I remember being asked what my expectations are when I enrolled my daughter in this school. I said, “All I want is for my child to be happy.” I think I still stand by that. I continue to struggle to limit my expectations and take it one day at a time. The pain and frustration of not understanding your child is a daily struggle, but I believe all things happen for a purpose and one day, yes, one day, my daughter will say to me, “Mama, I want water!”
As I said, right from the onset, I knew there was something wrong with my daughter. She is an absolute beauty and so people often refused to look beyond her big eyes and wonderful smile and assumed that I was exaggerating.
Getting the diagnosis didn't make matters easy. It meant my worst fear had been confirmed and I felt that I was just having a bad dream. There were moments of anger, frustration and disappointment. I had so many questions that I couldn't find answers to, and to make matters worse, my family didn't understand the full implications of the diagnosis.
The internet became my source of information with several visits to autismspeaks.org every day. I have found the information on your site very useful, but sometimes remote since I can't relate to all the information due to the lack of infrastructure and support for individuals with autism here in Ghana.
I was introduced to a woman who has set up a school for children who have autism, here in Ghana. Her name is Mrs. Serwaa Quainoo. She has a son with autism; he is the inspiration behind the establishment of the school. The school is such a wonderful place and the passion and dedication of the staff is just amazing. Autism Awareness, Care and Training Centre is the only known institution for children who have autism in the whole West African sub-region and this school has transformed my daughter's life. I am forever grateful to the teachers, caregivers and staff of this school.
I remember being asked what my expectations are when I enrolled my daughter in this school. I said, “All I want is for my child to be happy.” I think I still stand by that. I continue to struggle to limit my expectations and take it one day at a time. The pain and frustration of not understanding your child is a daily struggle, but I believe all things happen for a purpose and one day, yes, one day, my daughter will say to me, “Mama, I want water!”
If you have a story you wish to share about your personal experience with autism, please send it to
editors@autismspeaks.org.
Autism Speaks reserves the right to edit contributions for space, style and content. Because of the volume of submissions, not all can be published on the site.
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