Autism Spectrum Disorder in Togo: Towards the creation of an intervention and information structure

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Extract from the article: The NGO VISA is planning to set up an ASD intervention and information centre in Togo to help autistic children become more autonomous and to help them progress in their schooling, careers and social integration. A centre that will give children with

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The NGO VISA is planning to set up an ASD intervention and information centre in Togo to help autistic children become more autonomous and to help them progress in their schooling, careers and social integration. A centre that will give children with an autism spectrum disorder the opportunity to learn within a structured educational framework. The aim of the centre is to develop autonomy through a programme of educational support. This project is supported by the French association Solider'go.

The NGO Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Sante en Afrique (VISA), as part of its mission to promote health in Africa, has noted that autism is poorly understood by health and education staff in Togo. It is difficult to find a specialised training programme dedicated to autistic children. This leads to autistic children dropping out of school and makes social integration difficult for both the family and the child.

The NGO VISA wants to set up a structured information and intervention centre to provide personalised care from a multidisciplinary ASD team. This centre will be a member of and fully committed to the missions of the NGO VISA.The aim is to raise awareness among parents of autistic children about the activities of the support centre.

The centre expects to organise a conference for parents, partners and the general public, and then to raise funds to rent premises that can be used as a reception centre.One of its objectives is also to hire specialists (specialised educators, speech therapists, psychomotor therapists, child psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists) to work successfully with children with autism spectrum disorders. This centre will enable autistic children to manage better and facilitate better social integration at school and other leisure facilities.

Reine Tani Larekpergou, Head of the Autism Programme at the NGO VISA, autism is a sector that is given little consideration. Children with autism spectrum disorders are not given the support they need to flourish. « We felt there was a need to talk more about autism, present the different aspects, and direct parents to the centre and the intervention teams for more information. This is a multidisciplinary team, made up of child psychiatrists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, specialist educators and home helpers.The aim is to help children achieve a form of autonomy that will promote their social integration », she emphasised.

Main activities

One of the centre's main activities is to set up communication methods to develop the cognitive and social capacities of autistic children, and to adopt a specialised educational approach to facilitate the integration of children with ASD into the school system.

The aim is also to equip parents of children with ASDs with the appropriate intervention methods to restore their confidence in their ability to educate their children, and to improve the quality of life of families in their daily lives and in their educational mission by learning to better understand their children's difficulties.

« Today, there is no centre where autistic children can be diagnosed and where parents can go for treatment. We don't have the right multidisciplinary team.Parents are forced to go through a real ordeal.So it's important to set up an intervention and information structure to help parents of autistic children.We're asking for the support of partners and people of goodwill to make this centre a reality », says Dr Damien Ekoué-Kouvahey, head of the NGO VISA. Solder'go's ambition is for autistic children to have access to care and to acquire autonomy and social inclusion. The centre plans to look after 10 children. It will not be a reception centre. Home visits and individual monitoring will be organised.

What is autism?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children in three specific areas: social interaction, communication disorders and behaviour.It appears before the age of 3 and persistently disrupts a child's acquisition of oral expression and developmental skills.Compared to children without autism spectrum disorders, children with autism have difficulty acquiring language, communicating and developing social relationships with other people.They have limited activities and interests and display repetitive behaviours. Because of their social deficits or dysfunctional relationships, autistic children generally have difficulty expressing their needs and developing social interaction or social sharing games with their peers.They are enclosed in their own bubble, cut off from the outside world.As a result, they face difficulties in terms of autonomy in daily life and learning at school.

William O.