03 Apr 2025

 It is important for the society to play a role in spreading the message about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also known as autism and to treat those living the condition with respect.

Speaking at a World Autism Day commemoration event in Francistown yesterday, Francistown Assistant District Commissioner Mr Patrick Toteng said autism awareness was important so that the society could know how to live with those affected. He added that the community needed to learn to live with each other despite different medical conditions they had.

For his part, Francistown Principal Speech-Language Pathologist, Mr Goitsemodimo Moipei said autism influenced how people experienced and interacted with the world. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder categorised by repetitive, restricted and inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests and activities, according to Mr Moipei.

He added that abnormalities in eye contact , not showing interest in specified tasks, delayed language skills, difficulty playing reciprocal games, hyper or hypo-sensitivity and unusual response to the smell, texture, sound, taste, appearance of things and resistance to changes in routine were some of the signs of autism.

He also noted that repetitive behaviours such as hand flapping, finger flicking, head banging and repeating phrases or sounds were also signs of autism. He added that people with autism also experienced difficulties in social interaction and social communication as they prefered to spend most of their time alone.

“Being autistic means you may feel things and react to them differently to non-autistic people. You may find socialising confusing or tiring, and you may become overwhelmed in loud or busy places,” he added.

Mr Moipei further highlighted that people with autism had intense interests, prefer order and routine, and used repeated movements and actions rather than speech to calm themselves or express joy.

“Resistance to change can also be a sign of autism as autistic people prefer a strict adherence to routines such as eating certain foods in a specific order and the person may become distressed if there is a change or disruption to their routine,” he underscored. 

He added that autism was a spectrum, which needed assessment as some people with autism were nonverbal, while others had proficient spoken language. Furthermore, he said difficulties in social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive behaviours and resistance to changes and restricted interests were some of the factors that are considered when assessing for autism. He further added that autism differences in verbal communication were noticeable in childhood as many autistic children developed language skills at an uneven pace.

“Verbal communication may be delayed or never developed”, he added. He said autism could be a genetic problem, mostly common in twins.

He added that there was no treatment for autism but it can be controlled and managed through medication. Mr Moipei further advised parents to familiarise themselves with autism so that they could notice it at a young age and get better assistance. ENDS