13 May 2013

 Autism Botswana (AB) is in the process of establishing a multi-disciplinary team, required for accurately diagnosing persons - particularly children affected by autism.

 AB chairperson, Ms Rabiya Mahomed-MacGeoff said this during the society’s annual general meeting on Saturday.  The multi-disciplinary team, Ms Mahomed-MacGeoff said, would include family therapist, psychologist, neurologist, paediatrician, psychiatrist, speech therapist, and other professionals.

 The establishment of the team was part of AB’s resources and parental support plans. The team members would conduct a thorough neurological assessment and in-depth cognitive and language testing, in line with international best practice, she added.

 “This shall go a long way towards early detection and intervention, resulting in better outcomes and quality of life for children on the spectrum,” she said.

 Ms Mahomed-MacGeoff said autism condition had affected lives of many individuals in the country, hence the society’s action. She said it was sad that autism condition, which was mainly referred to as delayed speech, affected many people and some of them were not even aware of its symptoms.

The meeting did not elect a new executive committee as expected since it was agreed that the interim committee would continue as a substantive committee for a year.

 The meeting also formed three sub-committees namely; finance and corporate governance, resources and advocacy with four members each. These sub-committees were expected to formulate annual plans for approval by the executive committee. 

 Autism Botswana Society was formed to raise awareness about autism and to advocate for families affected by the condition. ENDS