On February 8, 2009, Mabel at Your Service featured the various concerns on Autism. Invited guests were Pediatric Neurologist /Child Development Specialist Dr. Ma. Ferriza Isaguirre of the Brokenshire Hospital Ministries Incorporated and Ms. Ms. Jane Gonzales of the Rainbow Intervention Center for Autism Foundation Inc. (RICAFI), the first autism school in Davao City.
The speakers manifested that the debate on vaccines and autism was not yet over. In Davao City, the cost for the rehabilitation for autistic person ranges from Php2,000 to 3,000 each. In our country, statistics shows that there are more or less 250,000 Filipinos are autistic. Dr. Isaguirre said that we need further studies on all types of genes and the environment in order to address the problem since there are a lot of types of autism and its primary cause is not yet certain.
Ms. Jane Gonzales, a mother of a autistic child, explained how a proper education can help autistic children. She also shared her experiences and why early detection of autism is very important. "An autistic child should undergo specialized intervention programs at the earliest possible time",Gonzales stressed.
Some of the early manifestations of autism are as follows: no pointing by 1 yearno babbling by 1 yearno single word by 16 monthsno 2-word phrases by 24 monthsany loss of language skills at any timelittle or no eye contactno response when called by name and indifference to others.
Dr. Isaguirre advised further, “For the families touched by autism, while our lives can be challenging, don’t view the situation as negative. I believe there is a reason for us to be in this situation and we are only given what we can handle. We are all in this together and only together can we overcome the hold that autism has on our loved ones."
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