Relationship
A guide to supporting autistic children for parents, teachers
AUTISM remains widely misunderstood in Ghana. The World Health Organisation (2023) estimates one in 100 children globally are autistic; Ghana Health Service surveillance notes rising identifications yet persistent gaps in training, especially outside Accra and Kumasi. Many teachers have never seen a visual schedule; many parents meet only confusion when their child reacts strongly to noise, touch, or change. An autistic child is not “difficult” – they process sensory input and social cues differently. Some speak fluently but tire quickly in groups; some use few words but excel at patterns, memory, or art. The spectrum is exactly that – a spectrum, not a label.
Three findings shape doable action. Kasari et al. (2022) showed structured peer-engagement raised classroom initiations by 30 per cent among autistic learners. AHEAD-Ghana (2023) reported visual schedules cut disruptions by 31 per cent in public primary classes. University of Ghana Psychology Centre (2024) found two-minute daily “strength talks” at home lowered parent stress and improved compliance. These are not imported theories; they are practices we have helped families and schools apply through Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC), our accredited clinical mental-health and training centre.
Make the day knowable
Under Ghana Education Service Inclusive Education guidelines, a simple board—maths, break, reading—reduces ambiguity. In low-resource classrooms that may be paper cards; in Accra schools it may be printed strips. At home, keep one anchor ritual: water, bag, shoes by the door. Prepare the child before assemblies or church using phone photos: “we greet, then sit.” Offer a voluntary quiet corner, not punishment but reset. Break tasks; today open the book, tomorrow write the date.
Coordinate, do not duplicate
A teacher’s brief note—what helped, what tripped—lets parents rehearse the same cue at home. A parent’s update—late sleep, constipation, and a win—helps the teacher start gently. At CPAC, we coach families and teachers to keep a single-page plan: triggers, calmers, strength, and one same fact: adults burn out in silence. Couples need a hand-off each evening; teachers need peer debriefs. Kasari’s peer model works for grown-ups too. In towns with few clinicians, radio parent groups and GHS community nurses become key allies.
Celebrate real progress
When a boy counts change correctly or a girl copies a spelling, name it: “You remembered—that helped.” Strengths fund courage for harder tasks. Review monthly and drop what fails.
Remember the supporter’s needs
My therapy and counselling work and Counselor Blessing Offei’s counselling and caregiver-training show the autistic children do not require inspiration; they require environments that remember them tomorrow as clearly as today—a posted routine, a break offered, a skill noticed, and adults who talk to each other. That is nation-building at the level that matters.
Resources
- CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
- Ghana Education Service Inclusive Education resource packs (request through district office)
- GHS child-development clinics for referral
Websites
References
- AHEAD-Ghana. (2023). Visual supports and classroom participation in Ghanaian primary schools. Journal of Inclusive Education in Africa, 7(2), 44–59.
- Kasari, C., et al. (2022). Peer engagement interventions for autistic learners. Pediatrics, 149(3), e2021053277.
- University of Ghana Psychology Centre. (2024). Daily parent strength-talk and family stress: A pilot study. Ghana Journal of Psychology, 12 (1), 21–34.
- World Health Organisation. (2023). Autism spectrum disorders fact sheet.
To be continued …
Source: REV. COUNSELOR PRINCE OFFEI and certified caregiver and licensed counsellor, Counselor Blessing Offei’s insights on special education, relationships, mental health, and parenting/training special needs children in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE). He is the author of several books, including “Preparing for a Happy and Fulfilling Marriage” and “A Counsellor’s Guide to Using ‘Preparing for a Happy and Fulfilling Marriage’ Effectively.”
Websites
Interpersonal relationships are complex constructs that can make or break a work environment. It is essential to cultivate relationships that are more positive and productive in the workplace so that everyone feels comfortable, respected and appreciated.
For improved job satisfaction and happiness at work, take time to strengthen your work relationships
Here are some tips for successful relationship-building at work.
2. Set and meet expectations
Set expectations that are clearly defined and reasonably achievable. Be realistic with deadlines, and don’t overextend yourself or your team members. Ensure everyone is aware of the expectations and deadlines, so they can adequately prepare.
Discuss potential outcomes and consequences before starting any project or task. This way, everyone involved has a better understanding of what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. This will help prevent misunderstandings down the line.
Once expectations are set, work hard to meet those expectations to prove that you are a team player. When you meet deadlines, you demonstrate accountability and dependability. You show that you can be trusted.
3. Build trust
Strong professional relationships are built on trust and respect. To gain trust, you need to be reliable and trustworthy. Show that you can be relied upon by following through on your commitments and keeping your promises.
Be honest and upfront with others, even if it’s uncomfortable. Transparency helps to foster trust. When people trust you, they’ll feel more comfortable being open and honest with you. This leads to better communication which will further strengthen your workplace relationships.
Trust is only possible when all parties involved feel respected and valued. Respect your colleagues’ ideas, opinions, and feelings by actively listening to them and giving them the attention they deserve.
4. Express gratitude
Find small ways to express gratitude regularly. Even a simple “thank you,” or heartfelt compliment can make a big difference.
Showing appreciation for someone’s efforts or ideas shows that you value them and their work. When you express gratitude, you send the message that you care about them, which will encourage them to reciprocate and build a stronger relationship with you.
5. Take an interest
Take the time to get to know your colleagues. Get to know their personal interests, hobbies, and passions outside of work. Ask them about these things often and take a genuine interest in them. You will develop more meaningful relationships when you learn and listen to them talk about the things that are important to them.
Showing an interest in your colleagues not only helps build relationships but it also encourages collaboration and creativity. People who feel heard and respected are more likely to open up and share their ideas.
Easter is already in the air church plays, family trips to Kwahu, fish money count in Kumasi market stalls. But for some families, the season also sharpens a private pain: a teenager who hides his phone under the mattress, a wife who finds transfers to unknown numbers, a father who smells stale hotel soap on his son’s shirt. Sexual addiction does not announce itself. It steals trust slowly, then all at once.
I see it at CPAC intake rooms: mothers trembling not from anger but exhaustion, men blaming themselves for “raising him badly.” Here is what we know and what actually helps.
Research frames compulsive sexual behaviour less as moral failure and more as an intimacy disorder tied to anxiety, untreated trauma, and a dysregulated reward system (Giordano et al., 2021).
In Ghanaian homes, shame thickens the silence. Carnes (2020) found that structured family disclosure guided by a therapist raised treatment entry by 38 per cent. Grubbs et al. (2020) showed spiritual support lowers relapse risk only when paired with accountability, not preaching.
Name the behaviour without drowning the person
At our Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman office, I often ask a couple to write down one line: “I felt scared when I saw __; I need __.” Not “you are dirty,” but “I saw pornography at 2 a.m. on your laptop; I need us to meet CPAC on Thursday.” I remember Kofi (name changed), a car dealer from Spintex, sitting across me saying, “If I call him addict he will run.” We drafted a text instead: “Yaw, I love you. I saw Mastercard bills. I’ve made us an appointment. I’ll drive you.” He came.
Use Easter’s rhythm, not its sermons
The season’s power is ordinary belonging. Invite your son to peel yam for Good Friday soup; ask your husband to lead the family in a simple sunrise prayer at 6 a.m., phone left in the hall.
A Shai Hills walk, a shared taxi to church-these re-anchor a nervous system.
Invite, do not ambush. Then bind that belonging to a step: install accountability software that blocks explicit sites and sends a report to a trusted person, agree on weekly attendance at a Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting, schedule therapy session with experts from Counselor Prince & Associates Consult – CPAC. Grubbs’ finding holds: faith helps when it carries accountability.
Build containment the Ghanaian way
Few Accra families have study rooms; rural families share one chamber. Make rules fit: “No phones in bedrooms after 10 p.m. -all devices charge in the sitting room.” Keep a single MTN phone for night calls. Agree on cash, not mobile money, for daily spend. For betrayed spouses, CPAC names betrayal trauma without gossip; the relief is immediate.
Parents need their own slice: a 20-minute walk, a radio prayer, a friend who listens. Empty cups spill.
City reality versus village reality
In Accra, you may afford an expert from CPAC and monitoring software. In Bawku, you may lean on CPAC’s online service or a community nurse, a well-trained and trusted pastor or imam, and a strict routine.
Both depend on three moves: containment, treatment, connection. I have watched both work.
Sexual addiction thrives in secrecy. It withers in small, repeated honesty. One week clean, one meeting attended, one budget table opened-these are Easter’s quiet resurrection.
At CPAC we do not promise miracles; we promise a plan. Some sons make tea safely again. Some husbands show receipts. Shame shrinks when families speak early, set boundaries, and bind to help.
Source: Field notes from Counselor Prince Offei’s practice in mental health, marriage counselling, and addiction support at CPAC.
References
Carnes, P. J. (2020). Sexual addiction and compulsivity: Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 27(1), 1-12.
Giordano, A. L., et al. (2021). Family communication in sexual addiction recovery. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(2), 312-327.
Grubbs, J. B., et al. (2020). Spirituality, shame, and compulsive sexual behaviour. Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 49(5), 1665-1677.
To be continued …
Source: REV. COUNSELOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on sexual addiction, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE)
