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Unquestionably, the field of medical sciences has advanced in every aspect. Identifying the causes of diseases, diagnosing and treating diseases are no longer a mystery that is left to faith Gods (some religions claim that diseases are punishment from God while others claim that only God can treat it).

Leaving theological arguemnts aside, we live longer than our forefathers, who also lived longer than their forefathers thanks to knowledge on how to tame our environment.

Thanks to medicine, diseases that are derived from infections are today treatable. The same applies to viruses where vaccines are available. Even when prevention is not available, there are a cocktail of therapeutic drugs which do wonders (e.g. in the case of AIDS).

In addition, there is profound progress in detecting and treating the emperor of all maladies, Cancer; while It is debateable whether cancer mortality has been reduced (only in child leukaemia has mortality dropped) , the detection and diagnosis of the various forms of cancer has improved.

From a Somali perspective, there are no enough statistics on cancer. In the literature, there are reports on the rise of cancer prevalence among Somalis in the west ; breast and cervical cancer in the case of women and liver cancer among men ( most of this is because of hepatises C infections due to sharing needles from immunisations). The rise in detection (NB; this does not necessarily mean a rise in occurrence) could be attributed to several factors; somalis in the diaspora live longer and since the propensity to get cancer increases with age, it is natural that more cancer cases are discovered.
Improvements in hygiene, healthcare provisions have also certainly played a role. In Somalia, perhaps due to inferior healthcare, Somalis died of other diseases making diagnoses difficult. Of course, environmental and dietary issues could also be the culprits.

There is a silent killer on the loose which lurks in every Somali household in the diaspora. It is mainly affecting boys- most of them born in the diaspora- and it seems to be on the rise.

Call it what you want, Autism, Asperger, disorder of neurological development, social interaction disorder, cognitive impairment or ADHD but, it seems that this syndromes with family resemblances are affecting our communities.

It was Eugen Bleuler , a Swiss psychiatrist who gave us the undertones to understanding what is today called Autism. Bleuler analysed schizophrenic patients and discovered that some of the between schizophrenic spells showed inability to interact and go on mute mode.

From a Somali perspective, diseases of the brain are not categorised. A Somali sufferer of psychological or psychiatric disorder is almost always referred to as “insane” “mad” “stupid” or other terms of ridicule.

There have been some “theories” and hypotheses that have been discussed in the literature; perhaps the most known one is the Wakefield study which claimed that there was a causal relationship between immunisation and autism. This study published in 1998 claimed to have found that the administration of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, caused not only autism but also bowel disease. This study could not have been reproduced and is thus deemed as fraudulent.

Other hypotheses such as the absence of sunlight (Vitamin D) in the west have been developed but they are too weak.

Genetic and environmental factors – as always- may have a role to play but there are to date no comprehensive studies that identify the causes.

The problem is that we do not really know the long term effects of autism; most of the somali kids are under the age of 15.

Do you think a cure will be found? Do you think earlier detection methods–say for instance using Amniotic fluid (liquor amnii) could be around the corner?

People speculate about what is behind Autism. I have my suspicions but I don’t want spread misinformation in case I am wrong. My advice would be very observant of your child. If you sense something is wrong take steps and research them. Knowledge, skills and action is very important. With Autism I have learned that the earlier the diagnosis the better. Getting help with a specialists and other resources is essential. The longer you wait you risk a bigger struggle in the long term.


Just my 2 cents

Who cares!

SimplySerene wrote:People speculate about what is behind Autism. I have my suspicions but I don’t want spread misinformation in case I am wrong. My advice would be very observant of your child. If you sense something is wrong take steps and research them. Knowledge, skills and action is very important. With Autism I have learned that the earlier the diagnosis the better. Getting help with a specialists and other resources is essential. The longer you wait you risk a bigger struggle in the long term.


Just my 2 cents

Sensible 2 cents...

There's plenty of misinformation out there and it's a recurring theme of fact vs fiction. And when u become a parent or are about to be one, it pounds the theme home. like you said...its worth researching the info out there and not simply take your docs advice. The whole thimerosal controversy scared the ish outa me...

The causes of Autism are not known yet, but like all new disorders I hope with time we will get some answers and possible cure. I think impact Autism has on Somali communities is difference because we are not cognizant of early childhood development and milestones a child should be meeting. Caucasian children on the other hand who are diagnosed with Autism do much better because they are diagnosed as early as two years old, if not earlier. The parents research and seek every possible therapeutic intervention possible for the child, hence whites cope with the disorder much better than a Somali child would.
It is sad that this is the case given that most Somalis (at least in the US) have free medical coverage, and are able to utilize resources otherwise the rest of people pay a lot for.

How can they NOT know the cause of Autism? If that is NOT the height of incompetence, I don't know what is. Just like how they have not found the cure of AIDS after 30 years. I have a big inclination to what causes Autism. It is that pain killer injection they get when mothers birth child. It enters into her blood system and str8 to the placenta and into the babys brain, thereby making the baby a retard. Through out time, mothers did not need it, why do they have to have it now? The beauty of birthing a child is the experiencing of the insurmountable pain. U need that pain to feel good after birth. If u r numbed and later wake up and say--what happened? Is the baby out? Whats the fun in that?


Also, another factor is--mothers need to stop eating processed fatty foods. They make babies grow bigger in the womb, and the bigger the babies, the more it will be difficult to pass through the unkind small canal. I say, take it is easy. Eat moderately and smartly and endure the pain, if u die in the processes of the child birth, God speed. (hardly, mothers in 18th century died due to infection after the birth. Pushing the baby out, however big, never killed a mother. Today infection rate is almost zero)

Basra- wrote:How can they NOT know the cause of Autism? If that is NOT the height of incompetence, I don't know what is. Just like how they have not found the cure of AIDS after 30 years. I have a big inclination to what causes Autism. It is that pain killer injection they get when mothers birth child. It enters into her blood system and str8 to the placenta and into the babys brain, thereby making the baby a retard. Through out time, mothers did not need it, why do they have to have it now? The beauty of birthing a child is the experiencing of the insurmountable pain. U need that pain to feel good after birth. If u r numbed and later wake up and say--what happened? Is the baby out? Whats the fun in that?


Also, another factor is--mothers need to stop eating processed fatty foods. They make babies grow bigger in the womb, and the bigger the babies, the more it will be difficult to pass through the unkind small canal. I say, take it is easy. Eat moderately and smartly and endure the pain, if u die in the processes of the child birth, God speed. (hardly, mothers in 18th century died due to infection after the birth. Pushing the baby out, however big, never killed a mother. Today infection rate is almost zero)

I agree with Basra. The cause in a nutshell is living in the West; pollution, food, lifestyle, stress, medication, etc. In all my life in Somalia, I've only met a young man with a mild form of Downs syndrome. Never seen or heard of a child who had autism.

SimplySerene, Summerain and Zuleika
Good points. But, todate there is no cure/prevention. The therapy that is offered obviously helps (it helps the parents more than the child because they HOPE ) but, without a cure or prevention, there is little hope.

I also think that the disease is colour blind.

Basra, you are speculating. What you mentioned have been analysed and no links found.

Arabman, I have also never met an autistic child in Africa but that does not mean that the disease did not exist. I was at a conference recently and this issue was discussed. It could be the case many of future autistic children were never born.

There is in my opinon a strong relationship between improved child/mother care and autism. Maybe, potential victims of autism died before they were born; natural selection.

SimplySerene wrote:People speculate about what is behind Autism. I have my suspicions but I don’t want spread misinformation in case I am wrong. My advice would be very observant of your child. If you sense something is wrong take steps and research them. Knowledge, skills and action is very important. With Autism I have learned that the earlier the diagnosis the better. Getting help with a specialists and other resources is essential. The longer you wait you risk a bigger struggle in the long term.


Just my 2 cents

Some family of mine were trained by specialists and they followed the guidance.....they invested enormous time and energy and all that efforts finally paid off.

Le justicier

Le Justicier,
Saaxib, could you share with us how it helped? I have friends (somalis and non somalis) who claim that therapy is helping but, I have concluded that the so called therapy actually works on the parents; they accept the situation and believe in the therapy.

Lamgoodle wrote:Le Justicier,
Saaxib, could you share with us how it helped? I have friends (somalis and non somalis) who claim that therapy is helping but, I have concluded that the so called therapy actually works on the parents; they accept the situation and believe in the therapy.

My sister was trained by specialist untill she became speech and language therapist. I am sure she use to spent with her son 10 hours a day. just to teach him not only the language but also with other issues. She is devoted to her son.....
Waan ku bari karaa hadaad rabto inaad soo interview garayso.

Le justicier

LJ,
Mahadsanid saaxib. I have friends whose children are affected. One of them even took his son to Mongolia to train with horses (there is a documentary about that kind of therapy 2-3 years ago; see trailer here ); another one took his son to Burco to be with camels and reer baadiyo. They all report that they have noticed improvements.

Speech therapy helps. But, the disease comes in many forms saaxib and what is urgently needed is to identify the causes.

Lamagoodle
I remember when my nephew was 2, 3 years old the child was busy his own world with delusion( bood bood iyo inuu keligii ciyaaro ayuu caan ku ahaa) Tv, games whatever caruurtu ku ciyaartona isagu iskuma mashquulin jirin.Ilaa hada 100% fit ma aha. Laakiinse maanta wuuna hadlaa school-kana wuu tagaa.


Le Justicier

Lamgoodle wrote:I have friends (somalis and non somalis) who claim that therapy is helping but, I have concluded that the so called therapy actually works on the parents; they accept the situation and believe in the therapy.

I think what LeJusticier's sister did is effective. I don't think there is a simple formula. Every child is different and things need to be adjusted to their needs . You can surround the child with animals, good environment, good diet etc because that’s all positive. But add treatment/therapy from knowledgeable specialists and skilled parents because it seems to produce results.

Maybe, look at youtube videos, of Before and after, of children who went through treatment/therapy. .

LeJusticier wrote:

Lamgoodle wrote:Le Justicier,
Saaxib, could you share with us how it helped? I have friends (somalis and non somalis) who claim that therapy is helping but, I have concluded that the so called therapy actually works on the parents; they accept the situation and believe in the therapy.

My sister was trained by specialist untill she became speech and language therapist. I am sure she use to spent with her son 10 hours a day. just to teach him not only the language but also with other issues. She is devoted to her son.....
Waan ku bari karaa hadaad rabto inaad soo interview garayso.

Le justicier

That's very admirable. I wish more and more Somali parents took such initiative and devotion when faced with such circumstances. I believe children are resilient no matter what condition they are born with and given support will excel in their own unique way. In my experience, children born with Autism spectrum disorders are among the most intelligent.