Autism spectrum disorder through the lens of the Theory of Mind : African perspectives

Abstract: The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Africa is increasing unprecedentedly. Yet, most researches and practices in ASD within African communities employ Eurocentric approaches to identification, screening, diagnosis, and interventions. This tends to increase the risk of late diagnosis and comorbidity clamored in Africa, given that Eurocentric approaches are inadequate in expounding ASD for typical African cultural diversity. Extant literature offers a general trajectory to the development and understanding of ASD without specific attention to cultural variability. This article drew from Baron-Cohen's mind-blindness theoretical framework to explain the ASD trajectory in Africa African context. We drew from African contextualization of the ToM and ASD to argue for an augmented mind-blindness framework for parents-oriented ASD surveillance in African communities. We further propose that ASD can be screened between the ages of 5 and 12 months through Afro-centric frameworks. The implications of our findings are that content and context are important variables in the research and practices of ASD