Click the image above to view this webinar’s recording on YouTube!

TITLE: “Developmental disorders in low resource settings: Perspectives from Ethiopia.”

In this webinar, Rosa Hoekstra and Beth Tekola Gebru discuss their work in Ethiopia, a nation with a population of over 100 million, half of whom are children. The prevalence of autism and intellectual disability (ID) is unknown in Ethiopia, and there is a lack of awareness of developmental conditions, alongside a high level of stigma.

However, not all parents who perceived and experienced stigmatising attitudes went on to internalise that stigma. This can be encouraged by increased awareness about developmental conditions, and better training for local Health Extension Workers (HEWs).

Dr Hoekstra is PI on a set of studies involving children with developmental disorders in Ethiopia. Together with Kenyan Professor Amina Abubakar she co-leads the large NIHR-funded SPARK project that aims to improve the mental health of children with developmental disorders and their caregivers in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Dr Bethlehem Tekola Gebru completed her MA degree in Social Anthropology at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and her PhD in the department of Psychology at University of Bath, United Kingdom. Since 2012 she has been involved in three autism research projects in Ethiopia, leading the design and execution of the qualitative research component of these projects. She is currently based in the Department of Psychology, King’s College London.

The webinar took place online on 11.00-12.00, 3rd December 2020, and was hosted by CRAE PhD student Mel Romualdez.