The majority of individuals with autism spectrum disorder live in low- and middle-income countries and receive little or no services from health or social care systems. The development and validation of autism spectrum disorder interventions has almost exclusively occurred in high-income countries, leaving many unanswered questions regarding what contextual factors would need to be considered to ensure the effectiveness of interventions in low- and middle-income countries. This study qualitatively explored contextual factors relevant to the adaptation of a caregiver-mediated early autism spectrum disorder intervention in a low-resource South African setting. We conducted four focus groups and four in-depth interviews with 28 caregivers of young children with autism spectrum disorder and used thematic analysis to identify key themes. Eight contextual factors including culture, language, location of treatment, cost of treatment, type of service provider, support, parenting practices, and stigma emerged as important. Caregivers reported a preference for an affordable, in-home, individualized early autism spectrum disorder intervention, where they have an active voice in shaping treatment goals. Distrust of community-based health workers and challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder-related stigma were identified. Recommendations that integrate caregiver preferences with the development of a low-cost and scalable caregiver-mediated early autism spectrum disorder intervention are included.

Since the medical link between sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS was established, there has been an increased focus on the spread of STIs in South Africa. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth picture of the dynamics involved in sexuality and the spread of STIs and HIV/AIDS. The authors present the findings of a focus group study, which was a part of a larger, national project addressing the broad question of health-care seeking behavior for STIs. A discourse analysis carried out on 10 focus groups reveals complex and rich narratives on the way in which STIs are constructed in South African communities. The dominant discourses focused on the continuing stigmatization of STIs, causal explanations, and prevention strategies. The analysis raises important recommendations for both educational interventions and health services toward the challenge of halting the spread of STIs and HIV/AIDS.

Recent research on young women's sexuality highlights the transactional nature of relationships among young people, as well as the increase in intergenerational sexual relationships. These unequal and often coercive sexual practices may increase young women's vulnerability to unsafe sexual practices. Within this context, while there have been some media reports on the relationship between girls and taxi drivers, there has been little documented research on the phenomenon of 'taxi queens'. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the understandings and constructions of taxi queens among local youth. A qualitative study involving 13 focus groups were held with youth in the Cape Town Metropole and the southern Cape region and analysed thematically. In general, there was widespread recognition among participants of transactional relationships between young women and usually older drivers. Taxi queens were strongly stigmatised, but their behaviour was also constructed as normative, especially in poor communities, and reflecting contradictory notions of vulnerability and power. However, taxi drivers were less stigmatised. Such constructions allow for the 'othering' of these young women, which may undermine their ability to seek help in negotiating safer sexual relationships. At the same time, their concerns need to be understood within the larger context of challenges facing youth, especially in poor South African communities. KeywordsIntergenerational sex, stigma, taxi drivers, taxi queens, transactional sex, vulnerability A focus on young women's sexuality in South Africa has proliferated over the last 15-20 years, reflected by academic research as well as organisational attempts to address girls' and young women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, early and unwanted pregnancies, and coercive and violent sexual relations with boys

Background: A lack of specialists, and insufficient infrastructure and funding to scale early interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characterize low-resource settings. Integration of early intervention methods that utilize non-specialists, and involve caregivers, into existing systems of care, offers the best hope to address such unmet needs. In South Africa, a caregiver coaching intervention, informed by principles of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) was adapted for delivery by non-specialist Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners. This study explored perceived barriers and facilitators to sustainable implementation of this approach. Methods: Nine stakeholders including caregivers, ECD practitioners, ECD school supervisors, and certified South African ESDM therapists involved in intervention implementation were purposively sampled, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results: Implementation facilitators included: ECD practitioner ASD knowledge and ongoing supervision; a positive coaching experience; and clear illustration of intervention concepts. Implementation barriers included: complexity of some intervention and coaching concepts; logistical challenges such as time constraints and internet access; and mismatch between video content and the South African context. Facilitators to sustain the intervention included perceived positive child and caregiver outcomes; and ongoing supervision. Barriers to sustain the intervention included socioeconomic contextual factors. Conclusions: In spite of the potential for positive child and caregiver outcomes from caregiver coaching, broader contextual and system-level issues such as poverty, the need for ongoing supervision, and access to local coaching materials in South African languages, may challenge sustainable implementation. Findings from this study will inform tailoring of the intervention training and supervision approach for next step evaluation.

This article addresses the issue of women's authorship in psychology. It reflects on the contributions of women authors to psychological knowledge production over the last 10 years through a quantitative assessment of authorship in the South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP). Key variables utilised include 'race', gender, university (i.e., historically black universities versus historically white universities), sole versus collective authorship, and the order of authors in multiple authored articles. The article highlights the historical silencing of women, particularly black women, in the broader realm of knowledge produc tion, both internationally and in local context. Some of the debates arguing for the value of women's voice in research and publishing are highlighted before the findings of the small descriptive survey are reported. Findings are both predictable and disappointing. While women as a group appear to be publishing relatively well in relation to men as a group, and the overall trend shows a closing of the gap over the last ten years, the intersection of 'race' and gender foregrounds the continued marginalisation of black women as authors, as well as the relative stasis of this situation over the last ten years. Furthermore, when taking the numbers of registered psychologists in South Africa into account, women as a group are in the majority, yet are represented in inverse proportion to their numbers in the profession when it comes to publishing. Women also appear to be publishing more in collectives, while men are moving significantly more towards single authorship, reflecting gender stereotypes with respect to co-operative versus individualist modes. Differences between histirically black universities (HBUs) and historically white universities (HWUs) continue, with women publishing less in the former, which is argued to relate to continued areas of inequity and lack of institutional resources and support. The article concludes by emphasising the importance of women's role as producers of knowledge in the profession.