00:01At home in Abuja, Afsat Harina does what many parents in her situation must, be both teacher and caregiver.
00:09Her four-year-old son is on the autism spectrum and requires constant guidance, while her younger child shows minor
00:16signs.
00:17For Afsat, one of the biggest challenges has been finding the school willing to accept her child.
00:22The bullying in school, because he cannot express himself, even the resident school where he is now.
00:29My goodness, at the first day, the next day when I went there, she was like, they don't want to,
00:37they are going to just give him a wiko.
00:39That the director didn't want them, that caution him, that was asking her, why would she admit children like this?
00:47Why? Because my child was not stable, he's not expressive.
00:54Autism is a developmental condition that affects communication, behavior and social interaction.
01:00Estimates suggest about one in every 150 children in Nigeria is on the spectrum, though experts say many cases go
01:07undiagnosed.
01:08For many families, access to therapy and specialized care is limited, and often expensive.
01:14At this autism center in Abuja, caregivers say awareness remains a major barrier.
01:20There are still parents that are still very much living in denial.
01:24There are people that believe, don't worry, God will solve this.
01:27I see this every day, where parents would tell you there's nothing wrong with the child.
01:35That delay in accepting a diagnosis can slow early intervention, which experts say is critical.
01:41Even when families seek help, the cost of care remains a major obstacle.
01:45We had a free assessment. More than 50 families benefited from that.
01:50And after the free assessment, we expected for them to enroll the child for intervention to kick off.
01:56And we realized that most of them couldn't even afford therapy.
02:00Experts say without broader government support, many children risk being left behind.
02:05I'm a huge advocate for policies to be changed, for government to get involved.
02:09In the Western world, they benefit from, you know, the government helping and subsidizing rates for therapy.
02:16And I'm hoping this is something the government can adopt here to help as many families as possible.
02:21Although the Nigerian government says it is making efforts, progress has been slow.
02:26A bill before the National Assembly aims to establish a national autism center to improve diagnosis and support.
02:32If passed, it could mark an important step towards a more structured national response to autism care.
02:39Back at home, Hafsas focused on what she can do for her children.
02:43Families like us are calling for better support, more inclusive schools and access to care.
02:48Because for many, the challenge is not just raising a child with autism,
02:52but navigating a system that is still learning how to support them.
02:56The wheels and the bus go!
02:58So, check it out!
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