There should be more awareness of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
That’s the view expressed by Director of Research and Programme Team Lead at Annexon Biosciences, Dr. Yaisa Andrews-Zwilling, following a presentation at a Neurodiversity Forum hosted by the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) at NALIS in Port of Spain on Tuesday.
“They’re doing an amazing job of raising awareness, bringing all of these experts in to talk about it from different lenses, not just for children but also for adults. So I think we absolutely need more, and this is a great first step.”
Dr. Andrews-Zwilling believes there is a lot more that can be done.
“I think more access to therapy, to medicines if needed. I was just speaking to another lady here who also has a PhD about a little bit more about diagnosis and how to help, so I think that would definitely help a lot. And also, I think within these schools, having specialised schools to help individuals, but also within the school system, now I know our teachers are doing a lot, and they have big classrooms, etc.”
She stressed the importance of understanding how to deal with persons living with these disorders.
“Education is key, awareness is key, so that you understand what you’re dealing with and why, and just having love and empathy for individuals and knowing that just because someone is neurodiverse, it doesn’t mean that they can’t excel, as I said, despite what they have, but having this can help them. That can be the thing that helps them to excel and brings richness to our environment, to our community.”
Additionally, Dr. Andrews-Zwilling said teachers should receive specialised training so they can cope with students with these disorders.