title: Autism Spectrum Disorders in Africa: Current Challenges in Identification, Assessment, and Treatment: A Report on the International Child Neurology Association Meeting on ASD in Africa, Ghana, April 3-5, 2014.
abstract: Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has increased over recent years, however, little is known about the identification and management of autism spectrum disorder in Africa. This report summarizes a workshop on autism spectrum disorder in Africa under the auspices of the International Child Neurology Association and the African Child Neurology Association through guided presentations and working group reports, focusing on identification, diagnosis, management, and community support. A total of 47 delegates participated from 14 African countries. Although there was a huge variability in services across the countries represented, numbers of specialists assessing and managing autism spectrum disorder was small relative to populations served. Strategies were proposed to improve identification, diagnosis, management and support delivery for individuals with autism spectrum disorder across Africa in these culturally diverse, low-resource settings. Emphasis on raising public awareness through community engagement and improving access to information and training in autism spectrum disorder. Special considerations for the cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic factors within Africa are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom and Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ruparelia
authors.affiliation: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Nairobi, Kenya Department of Culture Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abubakar
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Eben
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Badoe
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Unit, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, New Haven, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Muideen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bakare
authors.affiliation: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Karren
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Diane C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chugani
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Harry T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chugani
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa kirsty.donald@uct.ac.za.
authors.forename: Kirsten A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Donald
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jo M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wilmshurst
authors.affiliation: Autism Speaks, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: Behavioural and Brain Sciences, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skuse
authors.affiliation: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Nairobi, Kenya Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Newton
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006801:Humans
keywords: Africa; autism; autism spectrum disorder; intellectual disability; international child neurology association; public awareness