SHADES OF LIFE

In a world easily swayed by the lure of material gain, the name Eziafakaku “A Good Name is Better Than Wealth”, speaks volumes. It epitomizes an adventurous confident woman who knows her purpose and lives life intuitively whilst still setting the pace. Perhaps, her parents foresaw her future and brought it to life by aptly naming her.

Dr Eziafakaku Nwokolo is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Qualified Behavior Analyst (QBA) and Advanced Certified Autism Specialist (ACAS). She holds a PhD in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from the University of Kent, where her research thesis focused on “Screening for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Amongst the Nigerian Adolescent Population”.

Additionally, she has an MSc in Applied Behavior Analysis – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from the same institution.

Her thesis represents a significant milestone in Nigeria, as this study is the first of its kind in the country and will help support diagnosis and intervention for Autism and other Intellectual Disabilities because it highlights the need to create a more comprehensive screening methodology for Nigerians and Africans that is culturally appropriate.

Notably, she is the only BCBA in the entire resident Nigerian population of 215 million people* and one of the most prominent QBAs in the country.

She is the Founder and CEO of Shades of Life Care Limited (SOL). This centre provides assessment, diagnosis and intervention strategies to families with children that have behavioural challenges, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The facility also offers training and supervision services to Behaviour Analysts and Technicians in Nigeria.

In addition, she currently sits as a member of the International Standards Committee of the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis (QABA) Credentialing Board. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).

Through her work with SOL, she is helping improve access to ASD and IDD support in Nigeria while also building and equipping an army of Behaviour Analysts in Nigeria who uphold this mission and strengthen it further.

Also, Eziafakaku is the founder of Shades of Life Foundation (SOLF), an NGO that was created to give indigent families the financial support needed to provide their children with autism and other neurodivergent needs, access to the best therapy and resources.

She is also the visionary and sponsor behind #Ride4Autism – a campaign that aims to create a culture of awareness and acceptance for Autism in Nigeria. This laudable initiative is done in partnership with Cyclotron cycling club and SOLF.

Interestingly, her foray into the professional world of Behaviour Analysis isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. Growing up, her life’s philosophy was “live in the moment”, thus leading her down numerous career paths, including a fleeting desire to be an actress in California, before opting to study Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, because it was a course that seemed exciting at the time.

Upon graduating, her career began in the Oil & Gas sector, working with Chevron Nigeria Limited. Having risen through the ranks over the course of 20+ years, with prestigious positions, an enviable salary and other benefits, she decided to leave the company, even though she had not reached retirement age and still had great prospects within the company.

Despite the fact that her colleagues couldn’t understand her decision to retire, Eziafakaku’s “spirit and gut instincts” told her it was time to accomplish a higher purpose, so she followed her intuition, which led her to the dynamic world of Behaviour Analysis.

Part of her decision to retire early stemmed from her desire to improve access to Autism resources in Nigeria due to her personal experience of having a daughter with Autism and a network of parents experiencing the same issue. Rather than complaining about the problem, she decided to be a part of the solution.

With this mission in mind, she researched extensively and sent out tons of inquiries to professional individuals and bodies all around the world in the IDD and ASD sectors. This led to useful feedback from a Professor in Canada, who advised her to look into BACB and the science of applied behaviour analysis (ABA). Fortunately, this was the exact info she needed.

Subsequently, she trained as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), then became a BCBA and QBA through more training, trained to clinical levels to administer the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Developmental Diagnostic Dimensional Interview (3Di) and more.

A renowned thought leader in the IDD and ASD space, she has given presentations of her work at different conferences, including The Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) 44th International Conference in San Francisco, the ABAI 15th Annual Autism Conference, the 5th European International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) Conference in Athens, the 6th IASSIDD Conference in Amsterdam, at the inaugural International School for Disability Studies (ISDS) conference for Intellectual Disability (ID) in Abuja, Nigeria and the first-ever Pan African Congress on Autism (PACA) conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Additionally, Dr Nwokolo has published some of her works on autism and intellectual disabilities.

Fun-loving, adventurous and a lover of languages, Eziafakaku is bilingual with a stint in French. She is also happily married with three children.

Eziafakaku’s inspiring career trajectory reminds us that living a purpose-driven life is far more impactful than living a life based on the world’s standards of what seems prestigious.