Ghanaian charity gives parents a crash course in autism treatment

PRESS RELEASE London, 13 August 2013

London parents returned to the classroom in July to learn an innovative approach designed to improve the way they relate to their autistic children.

Guided by speech and language therapist Selve Krishnan, who is also CEO of Communication Links Limited, these parents embarked on a crash course in the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children (TEACCH) workshop.

The TEACCH workshop has been in use over many years and is considered by clinicians as a useful tool for independence and learning in the school context. People with autism are often very focused, have excellent memory and thrive in routine-oriented environments and this programme sought to harness their valuable skills.

Parents were schooled in creating visual timetables to promote daily routines at home, and introducing colour coding to organise their children’s toys, to strengthen these qualities. The TEACCH programme focuses on the strength of the individual to lessen their difficulties in social situations.

Adapting the school, home, community and work environment were key features in the half-day workshop and Ms Krishnan urged attendees to work in partnership with live-minded parents, education and support staff to create nurturing environments for their children.

“In my work I found that many students benefited from clear and structured approaches to learning,” Ms Krishnan said. “I felt that the knowledge would be useful for parents as it would help to provide a visual structure to their daily routines at home thereby reducing their children's anxiety that may arise due to uncertainty and the unpredictable sequence of home events.”

“There is also research that indicates that parents have the greatest impact on their children's life outcomes. However current services are either school or clinic-based with very limited time provided for parents in their homes. So the introductory TEACCH workshop was a small step towards empowering parents with additional knowledge and resources to enable them to help their children.”

Workshop attendee Venessa Bobb, whose son has autism, said she found the workshop useful. “My son is verbal but using visual prompts meant it was much easier for me to get her points across to him.” The workshop was staged at Barnsbury Community Centre, in north London thanks to Newlon Fusion, which provides support and development services to the community. Newlon Fusion also kindly supplied refreshments free of charge.

The workshop is one of a series of programmes London-based charity the GUBA Foundation will be staging this year.

“GUBA Foundation really wanted to help parents on a personal level and this workshop was a great way to do it,” Amma Owusu-Afriyie, the charity’s project manager said. “Time with a therapist may be quite expensive so we were really grateful to partner with Selve and glad that we could offer this opportunity to parents.”

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that can affect a person’s communication and ability to interact with others. The condition affects one in every 100 people in the UK, which means that over 100,000 people living with the condition come from black or ethnic minority (BME) communities.

For more information on the GUBA Foundation’s work supporting autism awareness and how you can help, please contact 07825397131 or 07538161084.

Picture caption:

Speech and language therapist Selve Krishnan urged attendees, pictured, to work in partnership with live-minded parents, education and support staff to create nurturing environments for their children.

.................................................................................................................................................... NOTES FOR EDITORS

Autism Autism is a spectrum condition, which includes Asperser syndrome and means that while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition can affect them differently. While autism can mean some people live relatively independent lives, others may have learning disabilities and require more support.

ABOUT GUBA FOUNDATION The GUBA Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to empower and inspire African communities caring for young and old with Autism.

The charity’s vision is to provide information, offer support and lobby to improve the lives of all those affected by Autism both in the UK and Ghana.

Through its sister organisation GUBA (Ghana UK Based Achievement) Awards and its successful non-profit business and innovation awards, the charity has developed a reputation for transforming ideas into reality and embracing new challenges.

Address: 145-157 St John Street London EC1V 4PW Charity Number: 1149303

Twitter: @GUBAFOUNDATION Facebook: Guba-Foundation www.gubafoundation.org http://youtu.be/XBF-itIxApw

For further information please contact: Kirsty Osei-Bempong 07415346178 kirsty@gubafoundation.org

George Ameyaw 07956945360 george@gubafoundation.org