By Chioma Umeha
To reduce high incidence of disabilities in the
country, healthcare practitioners, parents and guardians have been advised to
fulfill their responsibilities of monitoring their children to ensure early
detection and intervention of the predisposing conditions.
Giving the advice recently, was the Governor
Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State who stressed on increased commitment to
developmental assessment of a child’s life, particularly those between the ages
zero to three.
The Governor said that this would improve the
chances of early detection, intervention and ultimately reduce the prevalence
disability in the society.
The governor who was represented by Dr. Idiat
Oluranti Adebule, the deputy
governor spoke at a stakeholder’s summit in Lagos with a theme: ‘Ability in
disability: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.’
He said the concept of early intervention is based
on early identification and treatment of children who have established
diagnosis such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism or those who are at
risk due to environmental factors such as malnutrition, poverty and rest.
Noting that greater percentage of the development
of a child’s brain occurs at age three,
the Governor therefore said; “Early intervention will afford us the
opportunity to do whatever is necessary medically to salvage the situation and
avoid the worst possibility that may occur if neglected.”
According to him, the summit is part of the State
government’s effort to promote awareness for early intervention for children
living with disability or at risk of disability and its associated challenges.
“This initiative is therefore targeted primarily
at parents who are the first point of contact to the children; who are in the
best position to identify issues that might affect the proper development of
their children.”
He said helping them to discover their abilities
and value it will enable them define their identities and to contribute their
quota to the country’s development.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Joyce Onafowokan,
Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Development, implored parents to
visit healthcare professionals early for their children’s own good.
In his keynote address, Prof. Julius Ademokoya,
Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan and President, Speech
Pathology and Audiology Association of Nigeria (SPAAN) identified conditions
that deserve early detection.
According to Prof. Ademokoya, such conditions
include children that might have visual impairment of palsy, hearing
impairment, mental retardation and intellectual disability.
Others are
those who have chronic health and physical impairment, autism spectrum
disorder and learning disability.
“We have those with multiple disabilities. Most of
the time we pay attention to single disability, but it is not so. It is very
common to see somebody with both ear and visual problem,” he stressed.
He also said some children don’t have physical and
visible disability, yet they are not doing well, adding that such children need
early intervention together with gifted and talented children too.
Prof. Ademokoya said there is need to make sure
that early interventions are effected as early as possible to reduce disability
effects; correct and rehabilitate the children,” he said.
He maintained that there is ability in any
disability and therefore tasked people not to condemn a child because of
disability. “There are individuals who because of early intervention overcame
disability and eventually went on to make it in life,” he noted with examples.
Speaking on behalf of the Prof. Isaac Adewole,
Minister of Health, Prof. Chris Bode, Chief Medical Director of Lagos
University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH)
said; “What we are saying today is that let the doctors, nurses, medical
personnel know what to look for and pick them up very early because many babies
die without being recognised or were presented too late because they were not
recognised in the first few hours and days of birth.”
