Abubakar Amina, Gona Joseph K, Kipkemoi Patricia, Rimba Kenneth, Amukambwa Dennis, Newton Charles R J C
Neurosciences Research Group, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research-Coast, KEMRI-Welcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Afr J Disabil. 2022 Feb 23;11:847. doi: 10.4102/ajod.v11i0.847. eCollection 2022.
Little is known about the educational experiences of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Kenyan Coastal context.
We examined the diagnostic and placement procedures used in education on the Kenyan coastal region. In addition, we investigated the education-related challenges faced by children with ASD.
We conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 21 participants, including teachers, clinicians and educational administrators. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic framework on qualitative data analysis software, NVIVO 10.
The findings from this study indicate that there were no systematic approaches to diagnosing children as having ASD. Teachers reported experiencing many challenges, including a lack of specialised training, inadequate resources and difficulty in managing children with different functional abilities in one class.
There is an urgent need for contextually relevant evidence-based identification, placement and management services to be put in place to meet the educational needs of children with ASD.
在肯尼亚沿海地区，对于被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的教育经历知之甚少。
我们研究了肯尼亚沿海地区教育中使用的诊断和安置程序。此外，我们调查了患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童所面临的与教育相关的挑战。
我们对21名参与者进行了焦点小组讨论和深入访谈，这些参与者包括教师、临床医生和教育管理人员。使用定性数据分析软件NVIVO 10上的归纳主题框架对数据进行分析。
本研究的结果表明，没有系统的方法来诊断儿童患有自闭症谱系障碍。教师们报告遇到了许多挑战，包括缺乏专业培训、资源不足以及在一个班级中管理具有不同功能能力的儿童存在困难。
迫切需要提供与当地情况相关的循证识别、安置和管理服务，以满足患有自闭症谱系障碍儿童的教育需求。
