Running Between Trees

“So they don’t get autism?”

“Eeemm, not that they don’t get it. I mean, they see the symptoms, but their concept of it is usually more of personal responsibility or just a spiritual problem. Take, for instance, a child who is doing poorly in school. Here they would go through some kind of test and then be diagnosed as having a learning disability, right? In Nigeria, that’s a foreign concept. The child would simply be tagged as dim-witted or as an underachiever, so the solution is to just sit up and work harder. You see what I mean?”

Nayana nodded slowly.

“So what do they do for people with the ‘physical’ disabilities they know of?” she asked, signing air quotes.

“There are still programs to help them, but it’s really hard to get over the superstitions and stigmas that people have about such things. Honestly, if you can hide it, the better for you. Which is why I sometimes wonder if it’s really a good idea to even diagnose these learning disabilities in children, because when you think about the label, you can see how it would be easier for a child to thrive believing that they just need to work harder as opposed to the oh-I -have-a-disability mindset. You get?” I sighed, watching the frown on Nayana’s face.

“So you don’t think kids should be diagnosed?”

“Not—”

Nayana cut in. “Because you realize the purpose of the diagnosis is to give the child a chance to qualify for additional services that will then help them learn in a way that is tailored to their needs, right? I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.”

I sighed heavily. Nayana was still so far removed from Nigerian culture that she could never understand what I was trying to say.

“No, you’re right. I mean, this is my field, right, so yeah, I hear you. Sometimes I just wonder about the other side of it, you know. Like everything else, there are pros and cons.”

“Of course, but better to have services than not, right? Look at your aunt. She would qualify for disability based on her sickle cell if, say, she couldn’t work or just needed some additional services. So wouldn’t you rather she had access to it than be stuck because of her illness?”