A Global Public Health Strategy for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) around the world, including in low and middle income countries. Unlike countries in Western Europe and North America where infrastructure and capacity are available to help meet some of the needs of individuals with ASD, little expertise or capacity exists in most of the developing world. In 2008 Autism Speaks launched the Global Autism Public Health (GAPH) Initiative to facilitate the development of systematic and sustainable solutions for enhancing global autism awareness, research, training and service delivery. In the last 3 years Autism Speaks has established collaboration with stakeholders from over 20 countries who are working alongside dedicated local and international stakeholders to effect change. In this article, the GAPH framework is described, along with a few brief case examples that illustrate how the framework for implementation of the model can occur. GAPH is still in its infancy but has the potential to have significant impact through inclusive collaboration with local and international stakeholders to develop effective and sustainable public health solutions for disseminating best practices and delivering tangible benefits to individuals with ASD and their families. Autism Res 2012, 5: 211-217.

The status of early identification and early intervention in autism spectrum disorders in lower- and middle-income countries

“…The existence of local professionals with experience in autistic spectrum disorders in LMIC has been demonstrated by this paper; by the reports of current epidemiological studies in Mexico, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Africa, and Uganda (Elsabbagh et al, 2012); by reports on the outcome of global autism public health initiatives (GAPH) in association with Autism Speaks in Albania and Bangladesh (Wallace, Fein, Rosanoff, Dawson, Hossain, Brennan, et al, 2012), and by completion of an epidemiological study in Jamaica with a number of published fi ndings, including the identifi cation of older maternal and paternal age as risk factors (Rahbar, Samms-Vaughan, Ardjomand-Hessabi, Loveland, Dickerson, Chen, et al, 2012;Rahbar, Samms-Vaughan, Loveland, Ardjomand-Hessabi, Chen, Bresssler, et al, 2013;Rahbar, Samms-Vaughan, Loveland, Pearson, Bressler, Chen, et al, 2012). Engagement of these professionals will be integral to ensuring interventions of relevance and the improvement of outcomes for children with autistic spectrum disorders in LMIC.…”

Rural Trends in Diagnosis and Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…In addition to the above-noted individual characteristics and relative lack of ASD awareness (i.e., knowledge of the disorder and services) that impact detection in rural areas (Wallace et al, 2012; Hoogsteen and Woodgate, 2013a), there are also cultural characteristics that distinguish these areas and may contribute to the diminished identification and use of services for affected individuals with ASD (Strasser, 2003). Specifically, there are significant disparities in socioeconomic status and levels of education in rural areas compared to urban, with marked lower socioeconomic status and level of education in rural areas (Blumenthal and Kagen, 2002; Hartley, 2004).…”

Autism and the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health

“…In some countries, there has been a focus in recent years on training professionals on standardized instruments (delivered in high-income countries or by regional providers). This is a costly and challenging approach because it is detached from the specific research or practice context [see discussion in Wallace et al, 2012].…”