Imagine calling your child’s school only to be told “Ooh the school has collapsed, we are no more,” but the reality was the exact opposite.

But you know within, this was told to you because the school did not want to renew your child’s admission.

Yes! That was one of the many challenges, Mary Amoah Kuffour had to endure in the early stages of raising an autistic child, Nana Yaa.

Sharing her experiences on Home Affairs on Saturday, she said many schools denied Nana Yaa admission, and the few who gave admission refused to continue after the term.

“Another school that also accepted Yaa, I think the first term when I went back for the report, they said ‘Do you know that in that particular class where Yaa is, eight parents took their child away?' Yes, it is that bad.

“For a lot of our parents, they are not able to send their children to public schools because of the numbers. So most of these public schools have smaller numbers which could help our children. It’s the reality,” she told host, Edem Knight-Tay.

She continued that society at large usually turned its back on parents with autistic children.

Narrating one of such incidences she said, “Just last week we were looking for a room for a mother and I had gone in to pay the rent, the next morning there was a call and he said ‘Ooh somebody had already paid for it and we are sorry’. You know why because they were moving in the next day and she went with the child.

Mrs Kuffour continued in a tearful voice “Look! Things are happening that we hardly talk about, we are going through it we are living it.

“When you can afford therapy it makes it a bit easier," she added amidst a sign.

What exactly is Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? I will tell you- it is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known, according to disease control and prevention.

Children with ASD often have problems with communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests.

For Mrs Kuffour, this has been a journey full of many lessons.