The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139) and was adopted on December 18 of 2007 that every 2 April is World Autism Awareness Day, to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. The notion of autism as a spectrum was developed in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association.

 Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, Repetitive behaviours, Speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences example include Repetitive behaviours like hand-flapping, rocking, jumping or twirling, constant moving and “hyper” behaviour.

The theme for this year is not yet known!

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The term “spectrum” reflects the wide variation in challenges and strengths possessed by each person with autism.

This year in RADA, we shall be raising awareness, increase knowledge and understanding of autism

1 Autism is a non-communicable disease.

2 It is important to understand the risk factors and prevention of Autism.

There are 4 main sub-types of autism recognized within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

People with autism may have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviour and might not want change in their daily activities. They have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. It begins at early childhood and lasts throughout a person’s life. They repeat actions over and over again and have unusual reactions that is they don’t pay attention to the way things smell, taste, look, feel or sound.

There’s no cause of autism. Research suggests that autism develops from a combination of genetic and non-genetic, or environmental, influences and these influences appear to increase the risk that a child will develop autism.

1 Genetic risk factor: changes in the genes increase the risk that a child will develop autism even if a parent is carrying one or more of these gene changes, they may get passed to the child (even if the parent doesn’t have autism).

2 Environmental risk factorfactors: certain environmental influences may further increase or reduce autism in people who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. Importantly, the increase or decrease in risk appears to be small for anyone with these risk factors;

• Advanced parent age
• Pregnancy and birth complications such as multiple pregnancies (twin, triplet), low birth weight.
• Use of anti-seizure drugs during pregnancy.
• Maternal metabolic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and use of alcohol.

Diagnosis of Autism:Autism cannot be diagnosed since there is no medical test to diagnose the disorders. Doctors look at the child behavior and develop a diagnosis. Sometimes it can be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable and it takes two steps;

• Developmental Screening.
• Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation.

The treatments of autism are ;

1 Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA): is by breaking down skills like communication and cognitive skills into smaller and simpler tasks. The tasks are then taught in a highly structured way.

2 Discrete Trial Training (DTT): is a teaching style that uses a series of trials and efforts to teach each step of a desire behavior or response.

3 Speech and Language Therapy (SLT): it aims at improving communication and language skills and it will help improve their ability to interact with others socially.

Prevention: We need to do the following to prevent autism

1 Avoid taking any drugs during pregnancy unless the doctor specifically prescribes them.

2 Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind during pregnancy.

3 Following delivery, there are certain measures that may be helpful in preventing autism. One is early diagnosis and treatment of Phenylketonuria (PKU), which is a hereditary disease that is cause by liver enzyme required to digest the enzyme Phenylalanine. Similarly, early diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease may reduce the risk of a child having autism.

Article by ATUNEK JULIUS ESENEK

Doh-Nyagang Miriam Gohyit is a holder of a Masters Degree in English private law and currently a Volunteer at the Reconciliation and Development Association, RADA

Gender stereotype remain a significant factor affecting the status of men and women in society. Despite some progress, thanks to the measures that have been introduced in recent years. There is still need for information. The notion of gender is related to the sex of the individual. There are pervasive and remarkably uniform differences in the personality traits ascribed to men and women.  There is considerable agreement across a large psychological study that a typical woman is seen as warm, gentle, kind and passive, whereas a typical man is viewed as tough, aggressive and ambitious.

Stereotype is a generalized view or preconception about attributes or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by members of a particular social group or the roles that are or should be performed by members of a particular social group. Gender stereotype on the other hand, is the practice of ascribing to an individual, woman or man, specific attributes, characteristics or roles by reason of her or his membership in the social group of women or men. (Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping and Women’s Rights (2014))

Gender stereotypes are complex and originate from local culture, traditions and other characteristics that seem to differentiate the two sexes. Children learn what constitutes female and male behavior from their family and friends, the media and institutions including schools and religious bodies. Gender stereotypes can have an adverse effect on all genders. It limits women’s or men’s capacity to develop their personal abilities pursue their professional careers and make choices about their lives and life plans.

The increasing number of gender studies in the recent decades reflects the growing public interest to exploration of gender identity and norms that reinforce social roles of men and women while linking particular attributes and characteristics with a particular gender.

 Gender stereotypes shape self-perception, attitudes to relationships and influence participation in the world of work. In a social environment, they can affect a young person’s classroom experience, academic performance, subject choice and well-being. The assumptions we make about women and men maybe conscious or unconscious and can result in people being treated differently or offered different opportunities based on their gender. 

In our society today many believe that women are the only ones who suffer from gender stereotype. This is a wrong assumption as bias and Stereotypes affect both men and women. Men, just like women, are constricted by stereotypes and penalized if they act outside their traditional gender roles. For example, they are not expected to cry, to be weak or express their emotions.

Gender stereotype and roles are learned. Men and women are expected to display different behaviors, especially in four major behavioral areas: personality development and temperament, communication patterns, prosocial behavior (those that facilitate interpersonal relationships) and power-related behaviors.

There are many differences between men and women. To some extent, these are captured in the Stereotypical images of these groups. Stereotypes about the way men and women think and behave are widely shared. However, Stereotypical expectations not only reflect existing differences, but also impact the way men and women define themselves and are treated by others.

The idea that women are weaker and must be protected creates a world where women are discouraged from taking on exciting challenges. The belief that “true men do not show emotion” creates a world where men are not able to form deep personal relationships. This can be extremely damaging to their mental health in the long-term. Thus, gender stereotypes can hold people back from their true potential. The more people learn about these stereotypes and how it is dangerous, the more likely equal treatment between the genders will develop.

The international Human Rights Law Framework prohibits gender stereotypes and Stereotyping which undermine the employment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. States have obligations to eliminate discrimination against women and men in all areas of their lives. This obligation requires states to make measures to address gender stereotypes both in public and private life as well as to refrain from stereotyping.

There should be an improvement in the social and cultural patterns of conduct and also the elimination of practices that are based on stereotyped ideas of inferiority or superiority of other genders. Men and women are both affected and can live their roles in life, without having to feel hurt by any forms of stereotypes if we understand and apply our knowledge on the existence of negative actions on stereotypes.