The lack of capacity to cope with autism in Guyana has, for years, been a burden on the shoulders of parents and teachers who have autistic children in their care.
At present, autism receives some attention through the Ministry of Health’s Rehabilitation Services programme and the Ministry of Education’s Special Needs Unit at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).
Rehabilitation centers, such as the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and Guyana’s seven special schools, fall under the purview of the two Ministries.
Additionally, in existence is the recently established Guyana Greenheart Autism Therapy Centre (GGATC). The GGATC, legally and organisationally a part of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, lends support to autism stakeholders.
Autism is a novel concept among the majority of people; but, for a handful of households who have had to deal with an autistic child, it is an integral part of everyday life.
Efforts to advocate for awareness and promote recognition of autism in Guyana are underway.
At a recent workshop at NCERD, which addressed the lack of capacity and basic knowledge of strategies in Guyana’s special needs schools to address autism, the Guyana Chronicle caught up with individuals whose lives are touched on a daily basis by autistic children.
Dr. Kala Ramnath is the mother of a five-year-old autistic boy, Rohan, and the driving force behind the GGATC.
She contends that Guyana needs sustained interventions and programmes, feedback and infrastructure to advance efforts to address autism.
Speaking in context of the work that the GGATC hopes to accomplish, Ramnath said, “After we have gone, we hope that we would have set up the mechanisms at the GGATC.”
While she affirmed that there is an urgent need for a support system to assist parents to deal with autistic children, she maintained that some headway has been made in terms of response to autism.
Dr. James Ellis is a Senior Director of Consultation Services with Melmark, New England, a not for profit, community-based organisation dedicated to serving children and adolescents with autism , with acquired brain injury, with neurological diseases and disorders, dual diagnosis, and severe challenging behaviors.
He collaborates with the GGATC and observed that the steps taken so far constitute a good starting point.
“There are professionals here who have some knowledge about autism…What is needed is sparking more interest and getting more people to understand  autism,” Ellis posited.
He added that the GGATC can be a resource for all Guyana since it is a platform from which energy and momentum for advancement can be built.
A teacher at School of the Nations with  the Special Needs Class, Mr. Keon Cheong, says moves to address autism have come a far way, but there is still a long way to go.
“It has miles to go,” he said, “In terms of everything, including social acceptance, parents’ and schools’ acceptance of autism.”
In prior years, Cheong noted that literature on the subject of autism was not as accessible as it is now; hence present day strategies to address autism are more informed.
He said, “Coming down the line we are becoming more equipped to deal with autism and help children develop to their full potential.”
Mrs. Sarusha Dhannie, a teacher with the David Rose School for the Handicapped, said in her two years of teaching she has seen progress with the responses to autism, but pointed out that there is a greater need for training.
“At the CPCE (Cyril Potter College of Education) we learnt how to recognise a child with autism…There needs to be more training for the special education needs teacher,” she asserted.
Dhannie noted that each child requires different skills and one’s reaction or response to autistic children varies from child to child.
Another special education needs teacher, Ms. Ramonda Kumar, from the New Amsterdam Special School, explained that on a daily basis, she interacts with three autistic children of varying severities.
Kumar posits that things have started and are going somewhere.
The direction being taken by autism stakeholders, she said, is the right one, since at the end of the day, it comes back to the children, innocent children with potential that can be realised once they are assisted.
A teacher from the Sophia Special School, Ms. Debra Bilalatu contends that in her years of experience she has witnessed the slow, gradual advancement of response to autism.
“It is not being addressed as rapidly as I think it should be, but I think we are going through the process. We are getting there,” she said.
Bilalatu made it clear that stakeholders are on the road to having the kind of response programme they envision for autism.
Ministry of Health Rehabilitation Assistant with the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, Ms. Sharon Mirangie, said compared to as recently as two years ago, people in Guyana are more aware of autism.
According to Mirangie, there needs to be a comprehensive response programme that involves all stakeholders instead of a patchwork of projects that are scattered.
National Coordinator of the Special Needs Unit at NCERD, Ms. Karen Hall, said    there need to be more forums where those with an interest in autism can assemble under one roof and be made aware of the specifics relative to autism.
“We are going in the right direction…NCERD now has a chance to address specific disabilities and education for those affected by the disability…Efforts are more focused now,” Hall said.
Autism Researcher attached to NCERD, Ms. Mira Howard, explained that she holds a place in Mexico at the World Conference for Autism for Guyana.
That in itself is progress, she said, since it is a world congress.
At present, Howard is undertaking research to be able to report on Guyana’s status as it relates to response to autism.
She explained that her work targets the seven special education needs schools in Guyana, since in the mainstream schools children with autism are not allowed because of entry requirements; or they leave the school system early after the nursery stage.
Howard said, “I am trying to put together enough material to say at what point Guyana is…at this point I can say that Guyana is no way far in addressing autism, but is coming along.”
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.
It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism.