Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder among Nigerian Children with Intellectual Disability: A Stopgap Assessment

Abstract

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among sub-Saharan African children with intellectual disability is about 0.7% more than three decades ago. During this period, the prevalence of ASD has been on the increase worldwide. Studies are not available in recent times addressing epidemiology of ASD among sub-Saharan African children. The present study assessed the prevalence of ASD among Nigerian children with intellectual disability. Forty four children with intellectual disability were assessed for diagnosis of childhood autism based on criteria specified in F84.0 section of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) Diagnostic Criteria for Research. Five (11.4%) of the children studied met the diagnostic criteria for childhood autism. Male/female ratio was 4:1. There is need for large scale epidemiological studies of ASD among sub-Saharan African children to clearly define the inter-relationship between ASD and intellectual disability in this population and to help in health care policy formulation.

A Systematic Review of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…A few studies have attempted to estimate the burden of ASD in SSA [17, 19]. However, most of these studies used convenience sampling with data largely from hospital and specialist units for children with special needs.…”

“…All the studies reported higher prevalence among boys compared to girls. Bakare et al [19] in a study from Nigeria reported an ASD ratio of 4 : 1 for boys and girls, respectively.…”

Nigerian Teachers’ Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparative Study of Teachers from Urban and Rural areas of Lagos State

“…ASD was first identified in Nigeria in the 1970s (Franz et al, 2017). Despite this, prevalence rates for the condition remain uncertain (Bakare et al, 2012). A study by Bakare and Munir (2011b) suggested a prevalence rate of 0.08%, acknowledging that this may be artificially low due to the very limited attendance of children at clinics for childhood developmental disorders.…”

Autistic disorder in Nigeria: Profile and challenges to management

“…The apparent increase in prevalence of autism has been attributed to the fact that diagnostic criteria for autism have evolved and broadened, parents and teachers have a greater level of awareness which has aided earlier and more accurate diagnosis, and the increased availability of services is also believed to aid the frequency of diagnosis of autism [9,10]. Bakare and colleagues [11] reported a prevalence of 11.4% for autism in a cohort of Nigerian children with intellectual disability, while the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) among children with developmental disorders in Egypt and Tunisia was reported as 33.6% and 11.5%, respectively [12]. There are very few reports on autism in Nigerian children and a dearth of literature addressing the epidemiology of ASD in African children.…”