Lack of early autism screening a major concern, says association head

The lack of early autism screening in Barbados remains a major concern, according to the President of the Barbados Autism Association, Frank Johnson, who hopes that public events like the Autism Heroes Walk will help raise awareness and drive change.

“The main challenge is getting screening for the children early enough. A child should really be screened at three years old. It’s a little difficult screening before three, but if a child has missed developmental milestones . . . you really should become aware that there may be a challenge involved,” Johnson said on Monday, as over 200 men, women, and children took part in the annual Autism Heroes Fun and Wellness Walk and Cool Down Fair.

Beyond early diagnosis, Johnson pointed to other issues, including the absence of reliable national data on autism.

“We don’t have strict numbers here in Barbados,” he explained. “There has not been what I call a census taken of the exact number of children with this disability.

“The last national census that was done… it didn’t focus on a particular developmental challenge, which I think it should do.”

He also highlighted a critical shortage of trained professionals, saying: “We do need more specialists. We need more occupational therapists, and speech therapists or speech and pathology specialists. They do a fantastic job, but they are oversubscribed.”

However, for many families, the cost of private screening and therapy remains a heavy burden.

“A lot of our parents have to pay privately for consultants to carry out screening and testing . . . . Getting it done privately is expensive . . . but as I say to parents out there: think of it as an investment in your child’s future.

“A lot of young parents . . . have no idea what they’re up against . . . except that they know there is something wrong. They go to their GP or the polyclinic and report that their child is missing the developmental milestones.”

To address these challenges, Johnson said the association is working on forming partnerships that would make screening more affordable.

“In the near future, possibly working with insurance companies to provide support grants to parents who cannot afford the intervention. If we can swing that towards those groups in the next couple of years, we will be making fantastic strides.”

In addition to those efforts, the association is preparing to expand its physical presence. A new headquarters in the Garrison area is currently being renovated, which Johnson hopes will become a hub for affordable, accessible support and therapy.

“We are just about to finish our renovated building, which has been granted to us by the government,” he said. “We’ve taken out a lease for ten years, with a renewable ten years, just around the corner from the Barbados Council for the Disabled.

“We hope to go into partnership with speech therapists and occupational therapists to be able to offer subsidised programmes. We do see ourselves as providing many different answers . . . for all income brackets.”

He added that the association is launching new initiatives to support those families emotionally and mentally. (LG)