On Space and Work in Autism
The One with Chioma Nwokolo: Episode 23 (2022)
I bumped into teaching autistic children by accident. And it has been a challenging but beautiful experience for me. I love what I do. It is not a walk in the park. With autistic kids, early therapy is key. These kids cannot communicate their needs normally, so they try to do so through other behaviors that may harm them. Autistic kids teach you to teach them. And they make you fall in love with them. —Chioma (2022)
I met Chioma in secondary school (Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC) Oyo). We didn’t talk much until after graduation, although I see a lot of her on Facebook doing her thing and being inspirational. Since I shared my experience with Ariife, Chioma has been one of her most loving online aunties. We recently got into a conversation and talked more about what she’s been up to, and I knew she had come on the podcast.
Chioma had her BSc in Economics from the University of Abuja and then went ahead to get a postgraduate education from the Nigeria Teachers Institute, Kaduna. She is a registered teacher with the Teachers Registration Council, Montessori-trained, and has a master’s degree in public administration. She was fully active in the classroom from 2011–2019 and taught a variety of learners from play groups to Grade 5 (neurotypical and special needs). She now works in a government agency but still dedicates time to working with kids on the autism spectrum, helping develop individual education programs (IEP), and recommending to parents methods to help their kids (freelance).
Chioma is a child development tutor and therapist that specializes in helping kids with autism. You can feel so much passion when she talks about these topics. We started by talking a bit about this and her experiences thus far. Growing up in Lagos was hectic, and she felt the difference when she moved to the calmer environment of boarding school in FGGC Oyo for secondary school. She then decided Lagos didn’t suit her personality or set the tone for the kind of life she wanted. She later moved to the University of Jos but couldn’t cope with the cold, and then moved to the University of Abuja, where she has remained for 18 years. Her dislike for Lagos is relatable, although hard to admit–many of us Lagosians have this love-hate relationship with it. We also discussed our shared experiences going to secondary school in FGGC Oyo. It gave her sisterhood, friendship, and confidence, and she still remains friends with many of her classmates till today.
As an educationist in Nigeria, she shared on what can be better about the educational system. She advised that employment standards should be restored to make them attractive to passionate individuals and not just “who you know” or teaching because you couldn’t fit anywhere else. Also, parents should help their kids by developing their strengths and skills to help them stand independently instead of using corrupt mediums that would lead their children down nefarious paths. It’s not just for the government to fix; it’s a community of us all that can improve the issues.
Ayomide noted that there still needs to be a leader who drives the mandate. As Chioma pointed out, however, it’s sad that the Nigerian education minister may not even be an educationist. When the person doesn’t have the experience, how do they know the changes to be made?
The interesting thing about all of this is that Chioma didn’t set out with any plan to work with children with special needs. If anything, it found her. She had taught kids from the onset, of course, but it was only during her MSc break that she volunteered to teach in a school near her house, where she got to work with autistic kids.
It has been challenging and even scary but has been wholesome and fulfilling. She shared about autistic children, her experience with them, how to identify, communicate and help them, and, of course, the challenges she has faced, especially with the lack of funds and adequate knowledge in the Nigerian educational system. She also shared helpful tips for caring for kids with special needs, whether as guardians or teachers.
Listen to the full episode here:
Mo! and Doc Ayomide
🅻🅸🅽🅺🆂:
Listen: https://bit.ly/Nwanne2022
Download: https://bit.ly/Nwanne2022DL
Or on the website: www.mosibyl.com
Resources:
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism: https://a.co/d/9VdK7JM