Haley Ecker
World Lit Honors 1st Period
Ms. Tompkins
13 March 2015
Erasing the Stigma
Bewitched. Possessed. Demons. This is how South Africans perceive and explain the behaviour of those who exhibit symptoms associated with autism. According to autism specialists, a child with autism is born every 45 minutes in South Africa (Lindenburg). The disability has yet to be defined by the current government and is rarely diagnosed early enough to ensure proper treatment. Many people living in rural communities know little about autism and there isn’t an adequate amount of awareness being spread.
In general, there is very little information about autism available to the South African public. This is especially true in farm-based villages where many of these children are perceived as bewitched and, as a result, are tied to trees to ward off the “demons” inside of them, as stated by the Africa News Service (Africa News Service). These families don’t realize that their child has a neurological disability that impairs their children’s sense. There is so little information being shared with these families due in large part to the fact that there are so few doctors in South Africa and not many have received decent training. Editors from the South African Medical Journal have noted that the current doctors are not educated on the symptoms correlating with autism, which leads to later (and often incorrect) diagnoses (Bateman). While doctors are learning more about the factors that stimulate autism, they are still not able to share this information with everyone since not everyone has easy access to health care facilities.
Additionally, the groups that do have this information and want to promote awareness are completely lacking in funds and don’t always communicate the right message to the public. For instance, the South African Star records that the Hospital of Johannesburg has recently stopped funding the autism wings of their facility (Eliseev). Now the groups that once had to focus on advertising need to raise more money to keep their wings of the hospital open. As an additional difficulty, these groups often reaffirm the social stigma behind autism rather than bring it to light. According to editors from the South African Star, the organization called Autism South Africa recently had to stop their latest campaign because they claimed “autism is for violent people” (Sapa). This completely goes against the aim to stop the stigma associated with autism and reinforces the harsh terms used to describe these children, which sounds very ironic coming from an organization that wants to promote proper awareness of the disability.
Even though there are many fallacies regarding the true nature of autism, there are still many people who genuinely want to make a difference and promote more awareness for such a prolific disorder. These groups like the Moonlight Foundation have been gaining more recognition day by day with all the hard work they have put into erasing the stigma. Because of groups like these, there is a future for those “bewitched” children tied to trees, that one day they can finally be accepted and receive the proper care they deserve.
Works Cited
"Autism Support Network and Autism South Africa Together Engage to Heighten Autism Awareness, Support." Biotech Week 21 Apr. 2010: 3914. Global Issues In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Bateman, Chris. "Autism—Mitigating a Global Epidemic." South African Medical Journal May 2013: n. pag. Rpt. in Why Is Autism on the Rise? Ed. Clay Farris Naff. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Cruyawagen, Dennis. "Dlamini Shares Pain with Parents of Children with Autism." Dlamini Shares Pain with Parents of Children with Autism. N.p., 05 Dec. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Eliseev, Alex. "Centres for the Abused about to Lose Subsidy." The Star [South Africa] 29 Mar. 2007: 3. Global Issues In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
"Help for Children With Autism [press Release]." Africa News Service 13 May 2013: n. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Lindenburg, Louise. "What Is Autism?" Dr. Louise Lindenburg, Autism Doctor. N.p., 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
Sapa. "Autism 'truth' Message Was Too Small, Says ASA." The Star [South Africa] 4 June 2013: 7. Global Issues In Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
I really love this topic! It's so unique and there's so much to learn about it. Your hook was so catchy, and the way you organized your article kept me interested the entire time. It's fascinating how different autistic children and people are tried in the United States and South Africa. In the US autistic children are understood and cared for, while South African children are written off as demonic, and that's interesting to think about. One question I still have is: what are the lives like for people living with autism in South Africa?
ReplyDeleteYour hook is really good! I really like your article, and it made me want to read more about this issue in Africa. I think it's really interesting how different African and American society is. To me, there seems to be a lot more support groups and awareness raised about autism in America, while it is not the case in Africa. I wonder, do families in urban areas not realize that autism is a neurological disorder, or is it just the people in rural areas?
ReplyDeleteIts so tragic how many children in Africa have to suffer from torture just because people are unaware of the mental illness. It's good to here that there are people out there trying to change that by promoting awareness. Your hook is extremely intriguing, it really draws the readers in. Good Job!
ReplyDelete