Parenting: Supporting Autistic Children in Schools

8 minutes past 8 o'clock is it? Well, it is. It is autism month. And while we celebrate

awareness, there's a harsh reality. Many parents and teachers face not having enough

tool support or guidance to fully help an autistic child. It's a very important conversation.

Often the children with autism are don't struggle because of a lack of potential. They struggle

because the world around them, especially schools, aren't equipped to meet their communication,

learning and emotional needs. In South Africa, these challenges are even more pronounced in rural

communities where specialist services are rare. Autism is often diagnosed late and families

endure long periods of uncertainty. Research shows teachers grapple with limited resources,

insufficient training, and overwhelming classroom sizes while delays in diagnosis. Sometimes,

averaging three years can affect a child's early development. So this is a really big problem

and most certainly is. But what happens if you do need to send your child to a school? Is it the

school with autistic needs? Where they're located for your child? Or is it just a general public

school? And you need to know the difference because this really does become a huge problem.

Or joining us to discuss this is Dr. Anjinye Wanere who joined us to speak about exactly that.

She's a managing director of Sesame Workshop International South Africa. Dr. Hai, good to chat

you on 7 or 2. Welcome to the show. Hi Ray, wonderful to be here. Excited to engage on this topic.

Can you explain in clear simple terms what is autism? I think if we can start with defining

what is autism, this will help us a really well. No, thank you Ray. Autism is called

Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It's a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how

a person communicates, how a person interacts with others and experiences the world. I do want to

say it's not an illness or something that can be caught. It is a difference in how the brain

develops and works. So in simple terms, autism means that a person's brain processes information,

social cues and sensory input differently. It's not an illness. It's just how your brain responds.

They neurodevelopmental, neurodevelopmental, different or developmental challenge, I would say.

It's not necessarily a challenge. I don't want to use the word challenge, but it's really how the

brain processes information, social cues and sensory input. And they're different levels as well.

Thinking about the spectrum, you speak about the spectrum. There are different levels of autism.

Take us through that. How exactly do you navigate that? Because sometimes no child is the same.

No, absolutely. No child is the same. Autism can present differently in each child.

So some of the differences you can see is some children have communication differences. They speak

later than expected. Or they use very few words. Some are non-speaking. Some communicate through

gestures or pictures or devices. But also some can speak fluently. But in terms of their

ability to navigate language, you could notice very, very subtly. Some struggle with in terms of

conversations from a language point of view. So communication is one. It's a difference.

Another difference is social interaction differences. Some children make eye contact or respond

to their name in a way that is different from other children. And also how they engage in play

with others. How they show on sheer interest and emotions is often different. So that's the second

one. We've talked about communication differences. We've talked about social interaction differences.

But there's also sensory processing differences. Some of those children have a highly sensitive

to noise, light, textures, smells. For example, you see some children when clubs touch them,

they feel funny. You know, they choose how they eat, what they eat. And there's also sensory

input through movement. Some of them like to move. You see them consistently moving,

spinning or pressure. So that's another example. Another difference that parents or the public can

recognize in children. Remember, autism is normal. I want to normalize it in this instance.

It's behavior and interest. You know, some of those children are repetitive in terms of how they

look at repetitive movements, their routines, their interest in specific topics or objects or

patterns. There's also a strong need for predictability. And then finally, some children with

autism present a different learning profile and strength. They have uneven skills and skills

development. For example, you see them have strong memory, exceptionally intelligent,

but delayed language. They have strength in visual learning, pattern, music, art or numbers.

But they also have challenges with attention. So every sometimes you see a child look absolutely

normal, especially girl children. But they have so two differences. That's why it's really about

how the brain processes information. Gosh, that is so interesting. It really is. Now,

you have mentioned that children with autism struggle not because they lack potential,

but because the world is not fully prepared to support them. Take us through how the world can.

And the way you describe it, the way that a child will feel the coves that they're wearing,

but they feel it bothers them. It feels the touch bothers them. I mean, the world would have to prepare

a lot better by, I suppose, understanding them. Am I right?

You know, absolutely. The support for children with autism is really around not just saying

we are aware of autism. It's about accepting. It's about knowledge. It's about the people

empowering themselves on how does how these children learn, how the children make sense of the

world, how the children play. It's about empowering the people who are most important in the lives of

those children, especially at a very early age parents, early childhood development practitioners

and foundational practitioners communities, because if we empower the people with the knowledge,

with the practical tools, the coping strategies, then we can support them better to thrive and to

belong to society. For what age can you detect autism? I'm talking about, she has a baby,

and you notice, okay, something is different here. What are the early signs to look at for?

Let me start by saying that the earlier the better, the earlier the better, the brain, autism is often

manifested in the first six years of a child's life. In fact, from the moment a child is born,

the brain, 90 percent, if not more, the brain of a child develops from birth to five, and if I

stretch it six years, and afterwards proportionately, and so what's important is that you act early

in the education space we say at the SME workshop that, you know, early, intelligent,

early stimulation, early intervention, early identification is critical, especially in the

Scroocia window. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there are differences like you said, and you've got to

identify those differences very soon. And the problem is that public schools, I would think,

are not equipped to deal with autism. How does that lie? Because it becomes a cost factor,

it becomes, I have to send my child to an inverted commas, a special school. It's difficult,

it really is difficult to navigate through. I want to start by saying, I'm not so sure that

this special school is the answer. And I think that the Department of Education has also come to

the same conclusion. Good. Because attempting, there are lots of people working around,

manifesting unconsciously, unconsciously, annoyingly, manifesting autism systems, symptoms.

If you remember, autism is how the brain makes sense of the world. It's not necessary,

this is not any honest. So a lot of people have it. A lot of people. So you can't create special

schools for everyone. The key is an acceptance and inclusion and recognizing that every child

learns differently. And how do we support children even when we don't understand how they learn

and we're trying to make sense of it? So in terms of the education system, I want to start

by saying that political will is in place. We know for a fact that the current Department of

Education understands two things. One, that early child development is critical to changing

the trajectory of children as they imagine at all. That understanding is there. That's why

you've seen the Minister of Basic Education promoting early child education,

promoting parents understanding this. And also there's a whole move towards promoting specifically

inclusion that you can't separate children because they've limited resources. However,

they're still challenges. We still have suspended infrastructure. We still have limited teaching

materials. We have shortage of health practitioners and therapies who can support the children very

quickly and they're expensive and they have far. We have parents who are who often takes three years,

like you said, to identify from the moment of identification of the problem to a formal diagnosis.

We have staff, teachers who still don't understand what they need to do and are not well equipped.

So the challenge is that there, but what we must deliberate and recognize as government knows that

and I think it's the pace in which they move and I think the big conversation here is how do we

empower parents and early childhood practitioners or foundation phase to be able to do something

about this quickly faster and help children learn in the way that they're best done.

Right. I love what you just said there. Now, a parent has a child who has autism.

What advice do you give to those parents when they've just found out? They've just realized

that my child needs a bit of assistance and they're also not the child needs assistance. The

parents also need assistance in catering for the child and understanding their child. What advice

do you have for those parents? I have a number of advice. As this new workshop, we are especially

in early childhood development. The starting point for a parent is to act early, speak help early.

If you notice that your child has developmental, delayed or milestones, or they say from the moment

a child is born, they are setting things that your health practitioner will already tell you

that a child should be doing. A child, for example, as soon as child is born, the child should be

crying and I've got to test his dawn. A child must do this by this age. Family arise

yourself with what a child developmental milestones. Once you notice that your child is not meeting

it or looking at it differently, then you need to act early, seek help early. For a parent,

I would say to that parent to seek the seek help from local NGOs near you. There are lots of NGOs

like this new workshop. There's an advocacy cone, for example, that you can go to don't stay at home

and think that you can solve this yourself yourself. Help children, your child. Once you recognize

that your child has this, help your child recognize and regulate emotions. I think that's important

because that's with how a child makes sense of the world. Let's also support the parents from

in terms of your emotions are important. How are you feeling in this? Identify what you're feeling

and find support groups or that parent who have that and try and do that and then last two

is one is empower yourself. Knowledge is power. Read everything you can about autism and empower yourself

because in that knowledge base you can support your children and then seek practical resources.

That's why Sesame Workshop exists. We have launched a test on this assessment in this

exam, autism acceptance month. We've launched practical resources that can help you connect with

your child, help you empower your child and help your child make sense of the situation. That's why

we're challenging people to go to encouraging people to go to sesame. www.sephemy.org.

It's interesting what you say. Now supporting an autistic child can be emotionally demanding.

We know this. I mean, when you become a parent, it's a full-time job and parenting isn't for

cities. It's certainly isn't. So how can parents meet their child's emotional needs while still?

I don't know, making sure that they take care of themselves because it's 24-7 and eventually

a parent's as well can get to the point where I can't do this. I'm battling. You spoke about Sesame,

which is good, but what sort of support is out there? You spoke about support groups, but

support is out there for parents who have got to the point where they thought I just can't go one

more step. So maybe the starting point, I often say that the beginning of solving your problem

is accepted. Many parents, I also was one of them when my child didn't speak, started speaking

at 10 months old and then stopped and then blabbed and blabbed and blabbed. I couldn't, I said no,

I thought maybe he should be fine. I asked everybody around me. They said to me, don't worry,

every child is different. My children's book at four years old and I waited. And at some point,

and even when I got my first diagnosis, I couldn't believe it. I said, I've spent my entire life

helping other children, you know, helping people to become, how can my own child? So it's

that for the parents. I had a period of denial myself. And I think the big conversation is

acceptance because acceptance is critical for your child's progress. It means more than just

saying that I love my child. It recognizes that the difference, we can, it's recognized that we

can make the difference. This thing can be removed. And I use myself as an example because

of alien intervention in my own case. In my child's case was able to accelerate my child's

progress. So I want to encourage you. My child is speaking. My child has assimilated into

a normal school. My child is an eight, eight, eight, eight. In fact, award-winning child in school.

My child is making friends. So my encouragement to parents is let's start with acceptance.

Secondly, recognize that it can be better. It can, it is not the end of the world. Then take

steps, seek help from, and use like ourselves, like I've mentioned, find practical resources,

empower yourself because it's important. And then recognize that it's not just about you,

it's about this child. This child's future is in your hands. This child's ability to be a

well-adjusted productive adult. That's what people don't understand about early childhood development

that it's in your hands and in your community's hands to change the trajectory of children

that there is hope. And all you need to do is to connect yourself to those who can help you.

I like that. There is hope. I want to speak about that progress that you just spoke about.

With autism and autism in schools, how does a child progress? Do they, is it a lifelong,

I would say, a fiction, a condition is called lifelong condition, or is it a fact that the child

as they get older, they will make more and more and more progress? How does it work?

Remember, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. It's at the core of what it is,

is that it affects how it doesn't communicate interact with other than experiences in the world.

It just means that it can progress in terms of positively progress in helping,

but how it positively progresses is based on what support is giving to that child as early as

possible and progressively throughout that child's development. Remember what I said around

my child and I used my child because my child was there was also was also admit

a diagnosis with autism spectrum. In my fifth diagnosis, the fifth put your child in a

remedial education. That was when I almost went off a spin and thought, oh my god, what is this?

My second diagnosis said severe developmental delay, autism spectrum, again remedial education,

said diagnosis, I cannot forget. That's why I also sometimes get three opinions, don't stick to one.

I remember meeting this developmental pediatrician who said, don't ever put your child

in a remedial school, although I understand the importance of remedial school and there's a place

for it. But children at a very young age, my child was two at the child time, said to

not a very young age, learn by imitation. They look at what other children do, put her in a normal

school, put her in a school. In fact, in a class that is higher than a three or four years old

and get right support, get a speech therapist, get occupational therapist, work with the school

as a multidisciplinary approach and that child is going to progress. I can mention with that

effective support, the child progresses and I can testify to that. So the key here in answering

to your question is that the child will progress and will continue to improve if you meet the child

where the child is and connect with the child where the child is. And then effectively support

that child to transition from one level of improvement in developmental outcomes as possible.

And all the time, that's why you see a lot of people working around with some form of autism

spectrum, which you won't even know. That child has not been supported in a way that enables the

child to become and to thrive and to adjust into society. Yeah, you've almost answered the

following question, but I'm not going to ask it anyway. What message do you have for teachers

and autism? If they've got a big class because that's what happens these days, you've got 30 or

even more in a class, but do you suspect that one of your pupils has autism? How should they

then work with their child? What advice do you have for those teachers? Because you see it from a

mum and a doctor's point of view, but what advice do you have for those teachers? So the advice I have

for teachers, especially early childhood development practitioners or people who call themselves

care as encouraged, but they actually need more help to become early childhood development

practitioners, is that they are the first, often, outside of parents to notice how a child

responds to routine, manage his sensory input or expresses and meet in real time. So you are

in front line. You are in front line to identifying challenges in children like this. So I believe

that first, you need to empower yourself to understand what autism is. Secondly, you need to adopt

inclusion. Children with autism doesn't need to be somewhere out that your responsibility as an

educator and a teacher is to support that child to be the best they can. And therefore, you need

to advocate, but also be at the lead with supporting, implementing ECD spaces or in foundation-based

spaces where enabling supportive habits can begin. And remember that as a teacher,

you need to remove fear on misunderstanding around the concept of autism and replace fear

with practical or compassionate action. Practical and compassionate action comes with

understanding yourself with tools such as the one we have with that sesame.org,

four slash autism, but also understanding that if we identify autism earlier,

children are more likely to be supported in ways that reduce their frustration and build their

communication, build their confidence and their connection. And therefore, as teachers, we have

as much responsibility as parents to ensure that we work together with parents and specialists

where possible or practical tools to add grandchildren's development. Yeah, Dr. Jussal

closed with this as from Lalita Reddy. She says, hi Ray, thank the guests for such an encouraging

informative and motivating discussion, not just an academic exercise, but so hands on a practical.

I'm an educational psychologist and really enjoyed the discussion. And so did I. Dr.

thank you so much for chatting with us on seven or two about autism and giving us a better

understanding. I do appreciate you taking the time. So thank you, Ray. I just want to end off,

you know, accessory workshop. I really want to say that as we celebrate autism awareness,

awareness means more than just saying that every child belongs. It means building schools and

communities that are better able to recognize the Francis Ellie and responded with care. It means

supporting that on the resource teacher who is trying to hold a classroom together while meeting

many needs at one. It means when understanding translates to support so that all children are

given the space to be themselves and the genuine chance to learn, connect and try. And finally,

it means understanding the importance of early childhood development and that early care,

I want to emphasize, early care and stimulation saves life. It means utilize and practical and

available to such as the one that Sesame Workshop has provided and that you can find on www.cicemy.org

forward slash autism. Thank you for partnering with me to create awareness that this is a

condition that can be managed. Thank you, Ray. Thank you, Dr. Dr. Yere Waneri, who's the

managing director of Sesame Workshop International South Africa. What a beautiful and insightful conversation. Thank you.