Association for Behavior Analysis International

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that is characterized by difficulties in social communication, restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. Signs of Autism appear early in the child’s early development. While autism is said to occur uniformly across cultures, little is known regarding the experiences of caregivers in the African region who generally lack proper assessment, diagnosis and intervention. This study sought to explore experiences of caregivers of ASD parents and their help-seeking behaviors. An online survey was launched and distributed to African parents who were part of Pan African Congress on Autism. The survey was shared on 3 Facebook pages that are made up of parents of children with ASD from Africa. Participants came from 18 different African countries. The survey contained 21 questions, and 155 parents/caregivers from 18 African countries participated. The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences of African caregivers of children with autism from the point they notice the first signs to diagnosis, intervention and education. The study also sought to understand help-seeking behaviors and struggles faced by caregivers. The participants included 125 boys and 31 girls. Age range of ASD individuals ranged from 18 months to 30 years of age. Out of 155 caregivers, 96% of caregivers noticed the early signs when their children were between ages 18 months-23 months. In this pilot study, it is evident that African parents are recognizing the red flags quite early. The question however, remains, why does the prognosis remains poor for the African child? Results, implications and direction for future research will be discussed.

The purpose of the study was to exam the effectiveness of an outpatient treatment for adolescents with problem behavior in the context of the Italian public healthcare system. Assessment and treatment of problem behavior is well documented in private and publicly funded settings in the United States; however, to our knowledge, there are no studies reporting effective treatments in the Italian healthcare system. Our study included three participants with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities that were referred for services for aggression and crying. Parents and caregivers reported that problem behavior interfered with skill acquisition and social interaction. A functional analysis and a corresponding behavioral treatment were carried out for all participants. Functional communication training (FCT) was implemented in one weekly for two participants and two weekly sessions for the third participant. All sessions lasted 90 minutes in duration. Significant outcomes were reported for all participants in terms of reduction of PBs and increase of alternative responses, and for two participants results were generalized to people and settings, differently from the original training conditions. Namely, an 80% or greater reduction in problem behavior was reached for all participants, as well as an increase higher than 80% the functional alternative response, with respect to the baseline level. These findings suggest that an outpatient model is feasible and effective in the Italian public healthcare system. Specific adaptations of functional assessment and treatment in public health system are discussed.

Applied behavior analysts, researchers, educators, psychologists,  other professionals in the field of ABA and neurodevelopmental disabilities