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The need to establish the Komo Centre grew out of my family’s efforts to meet the needs of our son Christopher, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4
At eight, when the Komo Centre opened, Christopher did not speak any recognizable language, had obsessive behaviour and was prone to wandering off and getting lost, He had managed quite well at the kindergarten school which was small and carefully controlled, but he had outgrown it and the other children. There are no primary schools in Uganda which would offer him the learning environment he needed, especially given his tendency to wander off.
In trying to understand Christopher’s needs we began to seek out other families with similar problems. We rapidly came to the realization that there a growing number of (mainly young) families with autistic children, but very few people have information on the condition.
While there is growing recognition of this condition in the developed world, there it is hardly understood in countries like our own Uganda. Facilities and services for children with special needs are inadequate and are generalised, mixing children with diverse disorders and further hindering development for autistic children.
At one such institution which I visited recently, it was obvious that the staff and administration had not heard about autism. This further enhanced the feeling I had that we as affected families would have to mobilize our collective experience and develop this resource centre for our children.
The Komo Centre offers Christopher and others like him an opportunity to develop his potential in a controlled environment. It also serves as a resource for families of autistic children to gain further understanding of the condition, share ideas, and offer each other mutual support and encouragement.
Things will not improve for children like Christopher or their families without mutual support. The more we parents and other family members meet each other, the more we talk about the challenges that face us – and about the joy that our very special children give us! – the greater our ability to create or demand the services we need.
Please get in touch (see the Contacts page) if you are looking for such services, or can help in providing them or if you have some relevant experience to share.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Najjemba Kaleeba
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