Autism often misdiagnosed in SA

ONLY 10% of people with autism are correctly diagnosed in South Africa, it emerged in Cape Town at the first conference held to discuss the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD.

The conference took place this week at Valkenberg Hospital and was hosted by the University of Cape Town to mark Autism Month‚ which is observed globally in April each year.

ASD‚ according to a UCT statement‚ is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting at least 1% of the population of all ages worldwide. While the World Health Organisation has recognised ASD as a global public health priority‚ in South Africa there is little awareness about the disorder.

The conference brought together experts from the country’s autism community to discuss research and available services for sufferers.

Professor Petrus de Vries, from the UCT department of psychiatry, noted that just 10% of people living with autism in South Africa were correctly diagnosed.

As a result‚ families struggle to access the educational services needed for children and it is difficult for adults to find accommodating spaces. He also noted with concern that South Africa had contributed very little to the global research literature on the subject‚ with only 28 South African authors ever having published articles in academic journals.

Carmen Walker‚ who works for an NGO called Autism So What‚ has a child living with ASD.

She described the difficulty of interacting with him but urged people not to give up.

“No matter what they present‚ there is so much more to them than what we see‚” she said.

“My child is brilliant‚ he just doesn’t speak the language that allows us to see it.”