GUARANTY Trust Bank plc, a Nigerian foremost African financial institution, is set to hold the seventh edition of its Annual Autism Conference. The two-day conference, which is free and open to the general public, will hold on July 13 and 14, 2017 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

This year’s conference, themed “Childhood to Adulthood: Communication and Social Development”, will create conversations and develop resources which address the dynamic needs of people living with Autism right from their childhood through adulthood.

As part of the 2017 programme, there will be globally renowned specialists present to offer consulting services ranging from the assessment of children for Autism and other developmental challenges to the counselling of their parents from July 17 to 22, 2017 at Digital Village, Alausa, Ikeja. There will also be sessions for Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Behaviour Analysis, Audiology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy.

Since 2009 the Autism Awareness Conference has been a core part of GTBank’s Orange Ribbon Initiative, an advocacy programme designed to support people with developmental disabilities and special needs, especially Autism Spectrum Disorders, ASD. In 2016, the sixth edition of the Autism Conference had over 1,500 participants over the two-day period, more than triple the number which attended the inaugural conference.

This year is expected to attract a larger audience and will have as partners, ministries of Health and Education, Blazing Trails International, Texas, USA, College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Patrick’s Speech and Language Centre and the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro Ogun State.

Commenting on the seventh Annual Autism Awareness Conference, Segun Agbaje, managing director and chief executive officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, said: “Over the past six editions of this conference, we have made tremendous achievements in amplifying the national awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders and increasing the expert assistance available to people living with Autism. This year, we are going several steps forward to address the dynamic communication and social needs of children living with Autism as they transition into adulthood.”

He further stated: “Aware that we are a voice for people who don’t have a voice, we will continue to support children living with Autism as well as their parents, teachers and care givers so that through us, the world can hear them.”

Guaranty Trust Bank plc is a Nigerian financial institution that has maintained a defined Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, strategy since its inception in 1990. The bank actively supports numerous programmes across Africa that positively affect Infant and Maternal Healthcare, Education, the Art, Community Development and the Environment.

—  Jun 26, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT