Mrs. Dotun Akande’s journey into the world of developmental disorders in children started with her son, now recovered from autism. Like many other parents, she was not familiar with the condition and her exposure was limited to what she had seen on television or in films. Her experience with the non-availability of educational resources prompted the establishment of Patrick Speech and Languages Centre (Patricks) in September 2006. Patricks is the pioneer special needs centre in Nigeria for the education of children with Autism. The centre offers services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioral therapy. Also the centre offers social skills building and play therapy. Mrs. Akande is a mother of 3 and holds a Bsc degree in Economics from the University of Ado Ekiti. She has over 12 years banking experience before her switch into the world of developmental disability. Over the years has attended numerous training programmes on autism and other developmental disorders at various International Institutions including National Autistic Society (NAS) UK, Geneva Centre for Autism Canada, Western Psychological Services, USA and the Discovery Initiative South Africa. She holds a diploma in Applied Behavioral Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology. She regularly gives lectures on Autism and is a strong advocate for Autism awareness in Nigeria.
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