Autism: Perspectives from Africa. Volume 1
Keywords:
Autism, Psychology of Education, Classroom practice, disabled children, Post-colonial Africa, South Africa, religion, African StudiesSynopsis
Currently there is a paradigm shift in the African continent where dependence on western epistemologies and ontologies are giving way to African indigenous knowledge systems. Africa has been an importer of knowledge from the west since time immemorial and this book contributes to the body of knowledge on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the African perspective.
As a result, decoloniality and Inclusive Education have gained traction within the academic discourse, in order to stimulate academic discussions and debates with a focus on African indigenous knowledge systems and theoretical lenses as opposed to the western epistemologies.
The book demystifies some of the misconceptions that children with ASD are a curse and punishment from God or gods. Among others, Ubuntu is the dominant theoretical framework underpinning some of the research studies reported in this book. A range of topics are covered - from religion, inclusive education, law, and how disabled children were handled and placed in special schools, before inclusive eduction gained support.
