Lagos: Dr Usman Ibrahim, Senior Registrar in Paediatrics at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, has urged early diagnosis and intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Ibrahim described ASD as a brain development disorder affecting communication, social interaction, and environmental responses beyond intellectual disability or global developmental delay. He said autism was called a spectrum because affected children had varying strengths, challenges, and support needs. ‘The World Health Organisation estimates one in 127 people has autism, while about one in 31 eight-year-old children in the United States are affected. ‘Autism has no single cause but results from genetic predisposition interacting with environmental factors. ‘ASD risk increases in families with affected members and is higher among identical twins,’ he said.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, advanced maternal age, diabetes in pregnancy, prematurity, and foetal exposure to sodium valproate may increase the risk of having an autistic b
aby. Ibrahim said poor response to name by one year, delayed speech, poor eye contact, repetitive behaviours, and regression could raise suspicion of ASD. He said these signs alone did not confirm autism and required proper medical evaluation. The paediatrician said most ASD cases could be diagnosed properly between 18 and 24 months of age. He said mild autism cases might not become obvious until adolescence or adulthood.
Ibrahim said speech delay differed from autism because ASD primarily affected social interaction and communication. He explained that speech delay could occur alone or as part of autism alongside poor social interaction and repetitive behaviours. He said autism had no cure, but therapies help improve communication, social interaction, and daily living skills. He listed Applied Behaviour Analysis, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and physical therapy as available interventions. Ibrahim said therapies were most effective when tailored to individual needs and started early in
infancy or childhood.
He said trained professionals and dedicated centres, including selected hospitals, provided autism therapies. The paediatrician said there were no proven measures for preventing autism. He dismissed claims linking vaccines, poor parenting, or witchcraft to autism as baseless misconceptions. Ibrahim said autism was a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder and not a psychiatric illness, although appropriate support could improve outcomes. He urged parents to learn about autism from reliable sources and actively support affected children at home. He advised parents to encourage communication, social interaction, independence, and positive behaviour while managing sensory sensitivities patiently. Ibrahim urged parents not to compare affected children with others or abandon proven therapies for mythical interventions.