Help break autism stereotypes
Action in Autism will host a skills transference workshop on Friday and Saturday, 3 and 4 May for members of the public who are keen to learn more about autism.
Gugu Mkhize sits with a small group of family members and friends in the KwaMakutha court. She is exhausted after a number of sleepless nights and crying bouts in the run-up to this court appearance. Her 11-year-old autistic son, Tawanda is “acting up”, reacting to his mum’s anxiety.
This unfortunate incident transpired when Gugu’s immediate neighbours filed an interim protection order against her and Tawanda after they claimed that he had thrown stones at their property and had accosted one of their children.
This all come to an ugly head on Friday, 26 April in an altercation between the two families, with Gugu defending her son. She painted a different story in court and related how members of this family had pushed her son, frequently told him to “voetsek”, called him “insane” and screamed at her that she must “belt up her pig”.
Gugu, a single mother and primary school educator, has exploited every avenue to find a school for her child. After Tawanda was diagnosed, Gugu travelled more than 100km every day for three years to take her son from KwaMakutha to Sydenham to ensure he received an early childhood education at Action in Autism’s Early Learning Intervention Centre.
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She served on the centre’s executive board for three consecutive years. When he graduated from Action in Autism, Tawanda was accepted into St Raphael’s School but she was asked, a year later by the school, to take her child out because he was “not making any progress”.
Gugu was then forced to keep her child at home under the watchful care of her sister, a beautician, and her brother, a security guard in training. She continued to work to keep the home fires burning. She also looks after her eldest brother with schizophrenia.
Gugu kept a quiet but strong demeanour in court. She related her side of the story and indicated the discrimination and verbal abuse meted out to her son. Tawanda has high support needs, is non-verbal but understands everything he hears. He intuitively responded to the verbal insults and taunting of the neighbours.
“I made a plea to the neighbours to act like adults in this situation and speak to my son as a fellow human being with respect. I implored them that as an educator and a mother I would never treat any child in the manner that they did. Most of the neighbourhood accept and embraces Tawanda,” she said.
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A member of Action in Autism also supported Gugu and Tawanda and offered to provide information and knowledge on autism to the neighbours.
The court interpreter and assistant also spoke out strongly in support of Tawanda. Fortunately the magistrate threw the case out and said that this was not a matter for the police.
This was a relief to Gugu, but she is forced to continue to live in the neighbourhood, beside people who have no knowledge of autism. Action in Autism has vowed to undertake an awareness and information sharing drive in KwaMakutha.
“Our organisation will continue its lobbying efforts to ensure that every single child with autism and neuro diversity is accepted into the schooling system and it salutes the efforts of Gugu and Tawanda who did not back down against prejudice and ignorance, said Liza Aziz of Action in Autism.
“It is ironic that Gugu was asked to present herself to the court in the month of April, World Autism Month. We ask the public to support our ongoing efforts to create a better world for our people.”
Action in Autism will host a skills transference workshop on Friday and Saturday, 3 and 4 May for members of the public who are keen to learn more about autism. The NPO receive no funding from government. If you would like to support it, call 031-563-3039 or email info@actioninautism.org.za.
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