Autism in the Third World

My local newspaper here in Keene, NH USA, The Keene Sentinel, ran a story about a woman originally from New Hampshire (now living in New York City) who has worked hard to bring Autism awareness and some help to the Third World, including Ghana.  I can't provide a link to the article since it will "fall behind a pay wall" in a few days, but you can check out Molly Ola Pinney's website for The Global Autism Project.  I've been wondering what's been up in non-Western countries, especially economically strapped ones, given that it's not easy to access state-of-the-art services even in the U.S.  A few years ago I asked serval political activists from several African countries (I'll have to pull out the recordings some day) at a Keene State College sponsored conference on Genocide, about individuals with developmental disabilities....What happens to them, I asked, somewhat naively.  The question obviously surprised and upset them.  "Why do you ask such a question?" and "They just die" were among the responses.

We tend to be somewhat "Western-centric" in this and many other fields.  All the more reason to check out what Ms. Pinney is up to.

Comments

[Liz Ditz]

Thanks for this article, Dr. Welkowitz. I wouldn't have found the Global Autism Project without it.

[Molly Ola Pinney]

Hello All,

I am the Founder and Executive Director of the Global Autism Project and just wanted to drop a note to encourage anyone interested in learning more about the project or getting involved in some way to please contact me directly -- molly@globalautismproject.org. Also- if you get CNN International-tune in this weekend and next Tuesday for a quick story on the project! Details will be posted on our website as soon as we have confirmation! Please feel free to get in touch!

Molly :)

[Larry Welkowitz]

Molly:
Thanks for your post! Please keep up the great work,
Larry