We have baby Sophie here sharing her DS story.
At age 2 she had open-heart surgery and another for adenoids at 3. Her parents could hardly afford these surgeries which are either free or highly subsidized abroad.
How can we talk about early intervention in healthcare when these services are way too expensive? Early intervention is broad-ended. However, I’ll be focusing on special needs education.
Early intervention refers to an early start of therapy, education, medicare, and other activities crucial in the early years of a child’s developmental stages as it can minimize the effects of young children who are at-risk or diagnosed with developmental disabilities, to enhance the potential for independence in adulthood.
The ultimate is for children with disability to be in inclusive schools so they can gain strength, learn from those who are more endowed, and build healthy and invaluable friendships.
Sadly, there are many complexities when it comes to the educational needs of a special child.
Below are a few;
1. Teachers in either inclusive or mainstream schools must know about my special needs.
2. They need love, empathy, patience, and willingness to teach.
3. Educators need training and retraining to comply with the going trends in special needs education.
4. Willingness to implement the child’s IEP and collaborate with parents.
5. Who pays for the training of teachers in inclusive and mainstream schools?
6. Are we ready for inclusive education in Nigeria?
7. Why the delay in the implementation of the National policy in special needs education?
8. Am I being over-ambitious when I refuse to give up on an educational dream for my child?
9. Should I give in to the educational bureaucracies in Nigeria?
10. How many parents can afford the fees in private special needs schools?
11. Why are the Local Districts, State, and Federal governments not taking responsibility for this kind of education as we see in other parts of the world?
12. When will schools stop rejecting children with special needs???
13. Can all special children learn?
14. Who regulates the cost of special needs education in Nigeria?
Hmmm, Sophie, Mimi, and I are fighting 
too many battles oh!