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Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review

This paper presents a narrative review of current knowledge on autism in Africa, including prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers. The prevalence of autism in Africa is estimated to be similar to that in other regions. However, diagn...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Aderinto, Nicholas, Olatunji, Deji, Idowu, Oluwatobi
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10473371/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37663716
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001107
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author Aderinto, Nicholas
Olatunji, Deji
Idowu, Oluwatobi
author_facet Aderinto, Nicholas
Olatunji, Deji
Idowu, Oluwatobi
author_sort Aderinto, Nicholas
collection PubMed
description This paper presents a narrative review of current knowledge on autism in Africa, including prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers. The prevalence of autism in Africa is estimated to be similar to that in other regions. However, diagnosis and treatment access remain limited due to various challenges, such as a shortage of specialised healthcare professionals and resources, a lack of awareness and understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among healthcare providers, and cultural stigma surrounding mental health and developmental disorders. Alternative therapies are commonly used with other therapies, but their effectiveness is often unproven. The impact of ASD on families and caregivers in Africa is significant, with many facing challenges in accessing support services and coping with stigma. Efforts are being made to increase awareness and reduce the stigma around ASD in African communities, but more research is needed on effective interventions and culturally appropriate treatments. Policy recommendations include increasing resources and training for healthcare professionals, improving access to evidence-based interventions and promoting community awareness and support. With improved understanding and investment, the quality of life of individuals with ASD in Africa can be significantly improved.
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spelling pubmed-104733712023-09-02 Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review Aderinto, Nicholas Olatunji, Deji Idowu, Oluwatobi Ann Med Surg (Lond) Review Articles This paper presents a narrative review of current knowledge on autism in Africa, including prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers. The prevalence of autism in Africa is estimated to be similar to that in other regions. However, diagnosis and treatment access remain limited due to various challenges, such as a shortage of specialised healthcare professionals and resources, a lack of awareness and understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among healthcare providers, and cultural stigma surrounding mental health and developmental disorders. Alternative therapies are commonly used with other therapies, but their effectiveness is often unproven. The impact of ASD on families and caregivers in Africa is significant, with many facing challenges in accessing support services and coping with stigma. Efforts are being made to increase awareness and reduce the stigma around ASD in African communities, but more research is needed on effective interventions and culturally appropriate treatments. Policy recommendations include increasing resources and training for healthcare professionals, improving access to evidence-based interventions and promoting community awareness and support. With improved understanding and investment, the quality of life of individuals with ASD in Africa can be significantly improved. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2023-07-24 /pmc/articles/PMC10473371/ /pubmed/37663716 http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001107 Text en Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
spellingShingle Review Articles
Aderinto, Nicholas
Olatunji, Deji
Idowu, Oluwatobi
Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title_full Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title_fullStr Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title_full_unstemmed Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title_short Autism in Africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
title_sort autism in africa: prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and the impact of social and cultural factors on families and caregivers: a review
topic Review Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10473371/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37663716
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001107
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