Project Lead(s): Gauri Divan, Vivek Vajaratkar
Over 80 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders live in low-and middle-income countries, posing challenges for the local health systems. Not addressing autism at a young age has a profound influence on development into adulthood and results in a high economic cost, exceeding the lifetime costs of asthma, intellectual disability and diabetes. India has about five million children with autism but, outside major cities, there are no services for diagnosis or community-based care available, due to low awareness and a shortage of mental health specialists. The PASS+ project will develop a community-based method for the early detection and identification of children affected by autism. It will also evaluate a parent-mediated package of care for autism, delivered by non-specialist health workers, building on an existing communication intervention to address a range of needs for families who have children with autism. During this project, over 100 children with autism will be referred for treatment by trained community gatekeepers.