By Beatrice Ligomeka

Blantyre, Mana: Mental health experts have said lack of awareness and diagnostic equipment for people with autism is affecting parents and children with autism in the country.

Child and Adult mental health expert Precious Makiyi, said lack of awareness on autism from both parents and health care practitioners   results to misdiagnosis of the condition.

“Most children that are diagnosed with autism are those from well to do families  while those that are not well to do rarely have access to specialists of the condition and live with the stigma that comes from people who misunderstand the condition ,” he said.

Makiyi also added that there is need for policies that will ensure that the Ministry of Health has enough health care workers who can attend to people with autism and increased national awareness on autism to ensure that people in communities have knowledge of where to go if they have a child with this condition.

Commenting on the matter Chairperson for Autism Hope Malawi Chikondi Nsusa said  it is important to raise awareness on autism so that the public is able to understand the condition and support people living with the condition.

“There are few doctors in the country that are able to diagnose autism hence most children that are autistic are labeled troublesome as most parents are not aware with what is wrong with their child and the child end up being ill-treated in that environment,” she said.

Nsusa further said  the few children that are diagnosed with autism do not get proper therapy as there are few people who are properly trained to provide therapy to these children and there are a few rehabilitation centers in Malawi.

“It is only Blantyre and Lilongwe that have rehabilitation centers for these children and people in the villages that have autistic children have no option but to leave their child at home and not attend school as most special needs teachers in the country do not go deep into autism to understand the condition,” she added.

Nsusa also appealed to the public to refrain from ill-treating autistic people to avoid traumatizing them and called upon those that are in different areas of interest to come forward and enforce policies that are already in place to be followed strictly.

April is world autism month and different stake holders hold hands to raise awareness of the condition.

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