About Autism

Dejectedly, we do not have any data for these special needs group in Kenya and Africa at large. There are various reasons attributed to this including but not limited to negative cultural beliefs and tortuous pathway to care hindering many parents from coming out about their children being autistic. Furthermore, the condition is less known to many resulting to late diagnosis and missed diagnosis.

Unfortunately, both local and national government lack proper policies that are geared up towards helping autistic children. However, things are changing as more and more parents are becoming bold
and are raising their voice about the condition compelling the government to formulate policies that are geared up at helping ASD children. Nonetheless, continuous education to increase knowledge and awareness about autism is required as it will enhance early recognition and interventions. Equally, it will help in debarking the African belief of witchcraft, demonic afflictions, and evil spirits that are mostly linked to children that are talented differently. Awareness and sensitization will equally reduce negative and derogatory comments that result to stigmatization to autistic children and their families the main reason parents opt to hide their kids. Without a doubt, this results to late presentation and diagnosis of the disorder among African children.

Autism is equally a new phenomenon among many primary health care workers in Kenya as they are not equipped with them current information and training in the identification of autism and other neurological/neurological conditions. As a result, many physicians especially in the rural areas are not equipped to diagnose autism at an early age and even when they do, they always find it difficult to be the “bad news” bearers as any disability is equated to a death sentence in the region.

Compared to the developed countries where children have better access to care facilities and available intervention services, their counterparts in Kenya are not lucky in that regard. Consequently, they miss out on the benefits that are linked to early identification and early entry into appropriate treatment programs such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and nutritional intervention. This calls for improvement and diagnostic services for autism in Kenya and Africa in general as well as increase of the level of knowledge and awareness through massive education. In addition, there is need to provide an enabling environment for training of different professionals that will be involved in multidisciplinary approach of handling and managing children with autism with the knowledge that they have potential to achieve in their lives and all they need is ME and YOU to ignite the possibilities in them.