At present, there is an extreme dearth of information available about autism in Africa. Parents often resort to looking in a dictionary to find the meaning of the word after their child is diagnosed, and then are dismayed to find that no books or journals are available in the libraries about autism.
Similarly, psychiatrists and psychologists often have little information beyond a short paragraph from the medical textbooks. Yet, hundreds of books have been written on all aspects of autism, as well as on-going research in a dozen countries around the world, and several thousand links on the Internet. Because of the prohibitive cost of these books and services, the majority of families are not able to obtain all the information they would like.
Autism Africa will obtain the most current and relevant books and journals from abroad and make them available to those interested. The resource Centre also has a TV/VCR for parents and professionals to watch videos on various topics. For those outside of Kenya, photocopies of certain topics can be compiled as per the individual's needs.
