Screen diva Monalisa Chinda recently added another year and decided to spend the day with the children of Patrick Speech & Language Centre, Ikeja.
Patrick Speech & Languages School is a special school that caters to children with developmental disabilities such as Autism, Asperger syndrome and other neurological disorders. The actress' visit was to bring awareness to the little known condition facing many families in Nigeria.
In a chat with the Administrator of the school, Mrs Dotun Akande, she said autism is a 'faceless condition' because the child looks normal but exhibits certain behavioural signs. She explains that autism is a developmental disability which causes those with it to have difficulty with communicating with others, socializing as well as sensory input. After being taken on a tour round the school to see the facilities available, Mrs Akande explained what the learning aids were for and described what it was like attending to children with special needs.
Many present had a deep level of respect for the work being done by the teachers and the carers. Monalisa who was very touched, stressed that indeed that Nigerians needed to be sensititized to the needs of others especially special children in our midst. She later donated several provisions, food stuffs, toiletries etc to the Centre much to the delight of the staff present.
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