Autism and Life

Sometimes it seems so odd how little things trigger a thought or a memory. How we start down a road with intention but find ourselves being lead in another direction completely. I started reading about salat (prayer) and somehow ended up on a page titled Hello, I am Autism Aware.

I struggled through the article not because of its content, but because of my daughters breakdown, and her inability to cope with something so simple. She was unable to find a piece of paper, but not just any piece of paper; a yellow piece of paper. Why yellow, she could not tell me and any other colour offered would not do.

I did not have time for another outburst, I wanted to be left alone so that I could read, but she just would not stop. Realization, she could not stop. She is Autistic and somethings are just difficult for her to deal with. When I started to get impatient there was a sudden silence. Her sister arrived with that perfect piece of yellow paper. Alhamdulillah (all praise to Allah).

An article followed by a breakdown, well that was enough to start the nagging itch. A reminder of what I had been avoiding. A realization why I did not want to deal with another out burst and why I was short with her. May Allah forgive me for my lack of patience.

The Itch Revealed

Six months in the making the big day arrives. My wife and I already know the answer to the question that has been eating at our minds the past year, but because we live in a world that needs everything on paper we have to go through the formality of a meeting. That’s just how it is. Now it’s a diagnosis we do not want, but one we must accept. We enter the office and our little bundle of trials and joy makes a B line for the distraction they have prepared for him. There are a lot of toys there so it looks like it will be a lengthy chat.

Sitting in the office the doctor seems a little taken aback by how calm we are. We are for the most part pretty calm, after all he is our fourth child and we have had plenty of experience since the diagnosis of his sister eight years before. Experience gives one a wisdom and understanding to better deal with such situations and we have plenty of experience.

Moments after we sit he reaches for a car from a pile and begins to drive it back and forth upon the surface of the table: once, twice, three times until he parks it on one side. Returning to the mound of cars he repeats the process of driving and parking until he has exhausted every inch of the pile. Now that the cars are meticulously parked side by side he begins to shift them one by one to the opposite side of the table. The doctor notices his behaviour and mentions in an empathetic tone, “Oh Yusuf, so classic.”

Diagnosis: Classic Autism, Another Trial

That was ten days ago and I had just returned to Canada from my first international excursion. A spiritually rewarding and physically demanding journey to Medina and Mecca that broke me down only to lift me up in ways I did not think possible. Perhaps it was Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala – may He be glorified and exalted) way of preparing me and reminding me that life is just a series of trials.

Surat At-Taghābun (The Mutual Disillusion)

[64:15] Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward.

So each day I turn in remembrance to my Creator and thank him for having a child with Autism, and in my case I thank him twice, once for each blessing. I ask Him to strengthen me for the burden He has placed upon me as I do have those days that seem like they will never end and that I cannot make it, but Allah reminds me that I can handle it.

Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

[2:286] “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned…”

May Allah bless all our children and grant us all patience for those daily trials, ameen

http://tspmuslim.com/

Is there autism in Africa?
I have always wondered.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_23z9yJAq0

Having an autistic child can be very challenging

Kanwulia: Is there autism in Africa?
I have always wondered.

Of course. Africa just lacks the medical sophistication and resources needed to diagnose and manage the condition. We usually leave it to spiritual explanations and call the person crazy, mad, mentally reta.rded, insane etc.

red101:

Of course. Africa just lacks the medical sophistication and resources needed to diagnose and manage the condition. We usually leave it to spiritual explanations and call the person crazy, mad, mentally reta.rded, insane etc.

Hmmmmm!

I do not see how these types of children can survive such a condition in Africa.
Loving normal people is not even possible, not to mention unfortunate children with such conditions.

Why is it so difficult for AFRICANS TO FIND, GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE?
Just watched this documentary from a POVERTY-STRICKEN part of India.
It blew my mind away.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6JRFtDPt5w

The answer is not far from you. There's hate every where including outside africa, Europe, asia etc but Africans own is more in depth and ingrained. The self hate and unbelievable wickedness isn't curbed by enforceable laws as opposed to other refined nations.in other nations you are free to hate but it becomes an issue when you express your hate through violence or any form of abuse against humanity. Autistic kids inclusive




I remember my early years in the university where I saw a little boy always sitting outside in front of a woman's shop and I asked around why this boy is here and not with his parents or in school. They said he's suffering from epilepsy and the prophet told the parents to chase him out otherwise he will infect his other siblings because he's drmonic.no food, no shelter, unfortunately born into poor, illiterate and superstitious family so you can imagine what autistic kids go through in families like that. It's better he wasn't born at all

years later when I had graduated and passed by there i asked about the boy, they said he's dead

Kanwulia:
Hmmmmm!

I do not see how these types of children can survive such a condition in Africa.
Loving normal people is not even possible, not to mention unfortunate children with such conditions.

Why is it so difficult for AFRICANS TO FIND, GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE?
Just watched this documentary from a POVERTY-STRICKEN part of India.
It blew my mind away.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6JRFtDPt5w

SAMBARRY: The answer is not far from you. There's hate every where including outside africa, Europe, asia etc but Africans own is more in depth and ingrained. The self hate and unbelievable wickedness isn't curbed by enforceable laws as opposed to other refined nations.in other nations you are free to hate but it becomes an issue when you express your violence or any form of abuse against humanity. Autistic kids inclusive




I remember my early years in the university where I saw a little boy always sitting outside in front of a woman's shop and I asked around why this boy is here and not with his parents or in school. They said he's suffering from epilepsy and the prophet told the parents to chase him out otherwise he will infect his other siblings because he's demonic.no food, no shelter, unfortunately born into poor, illiterate and superstitious family so you can imagine what autistic kids go through in families like that. It's better he wasn't born at all

years later when I had graduated and passed by there i asked about the boy, they said he's dead

It is terrible oooooooooh
We have a long way to go sha.
The saddest part is that we have not even started the journey to redemption to salvation!
Even with all the churches and mosques disturbing the peace from SUNDAY to SATURDAY all over Africa!
There is no sacredness in human life or death.
So shallow! Zero spirituality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oggmvJGzjlM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Qc7-d7n2U

Am telling you. Everything is always my pastor said this, our prophet said that, our imam said this as if they are the only one God gave brains.if that's how the western world behaved, there wouldn't have been scientific results that cure or help cope with certain diseases.just go to luth and see how decayed the hospitals are and instead of calling the ministries of health concerned to order they will say let us pray


while the people in charge of the health sector are globe trotting and marrying wives andconcubines with money meant for health reformation. Patients sleeping on mats on the ground still you are sprinkling holywater

Kanwulia:

It is terrible oooooooooh
We have a long way to go sha.
The saddest part is that we have not even started the journey to redemption to salvation!
Even with all the churches and mosques disturbing the peace from SUNDAY to SATURDAY all over Africa!
There is no sacredness in human life or death.
So shallow! Zero spirituality.

SAMBARRY: Am telling you. Everything is always my pastor said this, our prophet said that, our imam said this as if they are the only one God gave brains.if that's how the western world behaved, there wouldn't have been scientific results that cure or help cope with certain diseases.just go to luth and see how decayed the hospitals are and instead of calling the ministries of health concerned to order they will say let us pray


while the people in charge of the health sector are globe trotting and marrying wives andconcubines with money meant for health reformation. Patients sleeping on mats on the ground still you are sprinkling holywater

The reason ALL MAJOR DISEASES CAN LIKE EBOLA AND HIV can find permanent homes in AFRICA!
More religion AKA SUPERSTITION. . .LESS SCIENCE.

Kanwulia:

The reason ALL MAJOR DISEASES CAN LIKE EBOLA AND HIV can find permanent homes in AFRICA!
More religion AKA SUPERSTITION. . .LESS SCIENCE.

it's sad that there's no hope for Africa going by the enormous rate of illiteracy, stoopeedity, superstition and ingrained ignorance. There are somethings that require prayers and there are also somethings that require basic Common sense

Kanwulia:
Hmmmmm!

I do not see how these types of children can survive such a condition in Africa.
Loving normal people is not even possible, not to mention unfortunate children with such conditions.

Why is it so difficult for AFRICANS TO FIND, GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE?
Just watched this documentary from a POVERTY-STRICKEN part of India.
It blew my mind away.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6JRFtDPt5w

Nne this doc film page is the creepiest thing I ever seen on YouTube. you mean u just log onto YouTube like I log on to Facebook and watch hour long videos inagbalikwa!!

Nmeri17:

Nne this doc film page is the creepiest thing I ever seen on YouTube. you mean u just log onto YouTube like I log on to Facebook and watch hour long videos inagbalikwa!!

Yes o!
I don't leave my home because of YOUTUBE!
When I started watching. . .I COULD NOT STOP.
The parents of the boy and THE WHOLE VILLAGE WHERE HE LIVED surprised me with the amount of love for this child.
It was a humbling experience.
The power of love manifested.
This can NEVER happen in AFRICA!

The youtube documentary made my cry and smile!!!!

Exactly, African still has a long way to go. Hear what Ann got to say...calling Africa a disease-ridden cesspools...I think it is time their governments do more than they are currently doing.

[b]"If Dr. Brantly had practiced at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and turned one single Hollywood power-broker to Christ, he would have done more good for the entire world than anything he could accomplish in a century spent in Liberia. Ebola kills only the body; the virus of spiritual bankruptcy and moral decadence spread by so many Hollywood movies infects the world.

If he had provided health care for the uninsured editors, writers, videographers and pundits in Gotham and managed to open one set of eyes, he would have done more good than marinating himself in medieval diseases of the Third World…

Which explains why American Christians go on “mission trips” to disease-ridden cesspools. They’re tired of fighting the culture war in the U.S., tired of being called homophobes, racists, sexists and bigots. So they slink off to Third World countries, away from American culture to do good works, forgetting that the first rule of life on a riverbank is that any good that one attempts downstream is quickly overtaken by what happens upstream."
[/b]

Kanwulia:
The reason ALL MAJOR DISEASES CAN LIKE EBOLA AND HIV can find permanent homes in AFRICA!
More religion AKA SUPERSTITION. . .LESS SCIENCE.

armyofone: Exactly, African still has a long way to go. Hear what Ann got to say...calling Africa a disease-ridden cesspools...I think it is time their governments do more than they are currently doing.

[b]"If Dr. Brantly had practiced at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and turned one single Hollywood power-broker to Christ, he would have done more good for the entire world than anything he could accomplish in a century spent in Liberia. Ebola kills only the body; the virus of spiritual bankruptcy and moral decadence spread by so many Hollywood movies infects the world.

If he had provided health care for the uninsured editors, writers, videographers and pundits in Gotham and managed to open one set of eyes, he would have done more good than [size=20pt]marinating himself in medieval diseases of the Third World…[/size]

Which explains why American Christians go on “mission trips” to disease-ridden cesspools. They’re tired of fighting the culture war in the U.S., tired of being called homophobes, racists, sexists and bigots. So they slink off to Third World countries, away from American culture to do good works, forgetting that the first rule of life on a riverbank is that any good that one attempts downstream is quickly overtaken by what happens upstream."
[/b]

Just imagine?
Behold! A CREATION OF THE 'CHRISTIAN GOD' OF BIGOTS!

Kanwulia:

Yes o!
I don't leave my home because of YOUTUBE!
When I started watching. . .I COULD NOT STOP.
The parents of the boy and THE WHOLE VILLAGE WHERE HE LIVED surprised me with the amount of love for this child.
It was a humbling experience.
The power of love manifested.
This can NEVER happen in AFRICA!

The youtube documentary made my cry and smile!!!!

kanwulia?? cry?? lol that sentence is an absurdity
like "the elephant is fleeting from bough to bough"

Nmeri17:

kanwulia?? cry?? lol that sentence is an absurdity
like "the elephant is fleeting from bough to bough"

Na you saka!

I thought this was a thread about autism. This thread has gotten way off topic.



@tbaba1234

This is not the first time I've seen you bring this topic up. Is there a personal reason behind this? If that is too personal, I apologize.

@aishaquest...
I have noticed this too.

@topic
I have been teaching children with Autism for 8 years. The video does not have to be "what Autism is."

It is better to figure out why the boy is having the outburst and address it, rather than restrain him. The boy is already too big for the mother to handle. He will only get bigger and stronger. When these kids go off like this, there is a trigger. Figure out what triggered the fit, and help them deal with it.

It can be done. I do it every day. Of course restraint is sometimes impossible to avoid, but it can be avoided. Parents and teachers need only be taught some simple strategies that can help lessen and even prevent many outbursts.

These children are not possessed. Science has shown that their brains do not work the same way "normal" brains do. I can go into the particulars about this difference if you like.

Here in America many of these children are taught in the same classroom as the general education kids.

aishaquest: I thought this was a thread about autism. This thread has gotten way off topic.



@tbaba1234

This is not the first time I've seen you bring this topic up. Is there a personal reason behind this? If that is too personal, I apologize.

Not really, recently a colleague of dad found out that his child had the condition.

The future for such kids is much bleaker in Africa.

I guess it is just empathy.

I am a doctor in Lagos and actually have quite a number of autistic patients. The ones I see however are all from middle and upper class homes which I guess is due to awareness. I believe ignorance and our cultural beliefs keep the less educated from seeking help when confronted with an autistic child.

What's with the Africa this, Africa that.

I have an acquaintance who has an autistic child, the child receives medical treatment from different countries including South Africa. He was receiving treatment in USA before she took him to SA.

Taking care of a special needs child has serious financial implications, will the hospital treat them for free. So really what options do the low class have.
It's not to be blamed on ignorance and cultural beliefs only.

tbaba1234:

Not really, recently a colleague of dad found out that his child had the condition.

The future for such kids is much bleaker in Africa.

I guess it is just empathy.

it's pretty simple.....
we cannot continue to discuss autism without looking at the causes. women older than 40 years of age should stop giving birth.

if any woman feels her career is going to delay childbirth, she should remove & freeze her eggs till when she's ready. the older a mother is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of autism.

this is the kind of awareness the NGOs in nigeria should be dishing out, but they would rather organise a street dance with the shepopotamus @ aso rock! autism should be as much awareness as the sickle-cell especially in a judgemental society like nigeria.

@tbaba,

tell your dad's colleague to take his autistic child to the bar beach. the child should be put on a horse. it's not a cure, but it improves the condition of the child.

coogar:
it's pretty simple.....
we cannot continue to discuss autism without looking at the causes. women older than 40 years of age should stop giving birth.
if any woman feels her career is going to delay childbirth, she should remove & freeze her eggs till when she's ready. the older a mother is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of autism.
this is the kind of awareness the NGOs in nigeria should be dishing out, but they would rather organise a street dance with the shepopotamus @ aso rock! autism should be as
much awareness as the sickle-cell especially in a judgemental society like nigeria.
@tbaba,
tell your dad's colleague to take his autistic child to the bar beach. the child should be put on a horse. it's not a cure, but it improves the condition of the child.t

All the autistic children I have come across were born to young women all below the age of 35. It's Down's syndrome that is age related but actually occurs quite frequently in younger mothers in this part of the world.

allycat:
All the autistic children I have come across were born to young women all below the age of 35. It's Down's syndrome that is age related but actually occurs quite frequently in younger mothers in this part of the world.

then reduce the age to 30.....
autism is age related as well. the maternal age is very important. the older the mother, the higher the risk of autism.

[img]http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/images/Autism_Rate_per_1000_births.jpg[/img]

Most of the mothers of my autistic students are younger.

Is it caused by the vaccinations ?

MymothersKeeper: Is it caused by the vaccinations ?

No it is not.

red101:

Of course. Africa just lacks the medical sophistication and resources needed to diagnose and manage the condition. We usually leave it to spiritual explanations and call the person crazy, mad, mentally reta.rded, insane etc.

What sophistication is required to diagnose a child with Autism in Africa?Must you people spit on Africa at every given opportunity?
Yes there are challenges in Africa but making a difference is what counts rather than just criticism.There is an autism society in Nigeria and many are aware though it's the educated.

thorpido: What sophistication is required to diagnose a child with Autism in Africa?Must you people spit on Africa at every given opportunity? Yes there are challenges in Africa but making a difference is what counts rather than just criticism.There is an autism society in Nigeria and many are aware though it's the educated.

a licensed practitioner is needed for diagnosis. There is a general lack of resources and add to that, we africans also tend to have a very different world view in dealing with neurological conditions. Most people aren't aware.

MymothersKeeper: Is it caused by the vaccinations ?

The causes are currently unknown but the vaccine connection has been disproved.
there are many theories though. One of the popular ones have to do with Vitamin D levels.

red101:

a licensed practitioner is needed for diagnosis. There is a general lack of resources and add to that, we africans also tend to have a very different world view in dealing with neurological conditions. Most people aren't aware.

What do you mean licenced?Nigerian doctors are not licenced?
I agree with you however that we do not have adequate resources to manage autistic patients and many africans have a low level of awareness but it's not as bad as you made it look in your initial post.