By Benjamin Mensah
Accra, Dec 15, GNA- The Rotary Club of Accra West, ahead of this year’s Christmas and New Year, has organised its annual party for children with special needs, with an encouragement to the children to press on to great heights.
The club also urged society to tap into hidden talents waiting to be explored in the children.
“Children, don’t lose hope. There’s a beautiful end at the end,” Mrs Mercy Araba Sika Tobin, Executive Director of the Tobinco Group, a pharmaceutical conglomerate, said.
In an address on her behalf by Lady Pastor Pathula Kwaw-Ntoso, Executive Director of Beautiful Life Foundation, Mrs Tobbin told the children, that, “there’s a lot in you that, the world’s waiting for to explore.
“Take over this world and be great people one day.”
The children were drawn from New Horizon Special School, Cantonments-Accra; Osu Children’s Home; Dzorwulu Special School, Accra; Demonstration School for the Blind at Akuapem-Akropong in the Eastern Region and Mampong Special School, in the Ashanti Region.
At the party, an annual event that the Rotary Club organises for the five schools, the children, including teenagers, dressed nicely, and were decorated by the Rotarians with Santa hats, ate and drank, made merry and danced to music of different that played at the Yire Lodge, at the University of Ghana, Legon.
With reference to Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla and SpaceX communication giants, described “as the world’s richest man,” Mrs Tobbin said there is still hope for children with special needs as their inborn and natural talents could be harnessed for personal, corporate and national prosperity.
Musk has long been a subject of fascination for many people, as he is reported to have autism.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. People with autism often have difficulty with social cues, may struggle with verbal and non-verbal communication, and may have repetitive behaviours or interests.
Musk in 2022 admitted to having Asperger’s syndrome.
It is the former name of a developmental disability that affects how people behave, see and understand the world and interact with others.
People with this developmental disability may have special interests, repetitive behaviours and under or overreact to sensory input.
According to the World Health Organisation, autism – also referred to as autism spectrum disorder ̶ constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to the development of the brain.
Worldwide, an estimated 44 million people have Asperger’s syndrome
Scientific evidence suggests that many factors make a child more likely to have autism, including environmental and genetic factors.
Characteristics may be detected in early childhood, but autism is often not diagnosed until much later.
The abilities and needs of autistic people vary and can evolve over time. While some people with autism can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require life-long care and support.
Evidence-based psychosocial interventions can improve communication and social skills, with a positive impact on the well-being and quality of life of both autistic people and their caregivers.
People who previously were diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome have since 2013 been diagnosed as having a high-functioning form of autism spectrum disorder. There is no longer a separate diagnosis for Asperger’s syndrome, although some people may prefer to keep using this term.
Dr Victoria Esinam Assah-Ofei, President-Elect of the Club, who is also a clinical psychologist, said the Club would continue to keep an eye over the selected schools for children with special needs.
She announced that the Club was engaged in some legacy projects, including water for the benefit of the schools.
Apart from enjoying the meals, the children had fun dancing and playing in a bouncing castle named Jachinboaz Home.
The Club also donated undisclosed amounts of cash to each of the schools.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Gifty Nartey, Caregiver at Osu Children’s Home, appealed for individual and public support for the home in terms of diapers, food items and vehicles.
The Home, she said, was also in dire need of medicines, disinfectants, furniture, textbooks and other stationery items.
She said the Home had 139 children, including babies, toddlers and teenagers.
GNA