The Experiences of Special Needs Teachers Working with Children with ASD in Tanzania

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a worldwide phenomenon. There are however large disparities in provision of service for children with ASD around the world (Elsabbagh, 2012). In Africa, many countries lack ASD prevalence data, and limited information on services available (Ruparelia, et al. 2016). One preliminary estimate regarding the number of children with ASD in Tanzania was 437, but is limited to results reported from 15 different intervention centers and considered to be a gross underestimate (Manji & Hogan, 2013). Teachers at the centers reported minimal additional training, and there is a need for substantial increase in facilities and human resources to support children with ASD in Tanzania.

Objectives: Gain more information about the number of children with ASD being serviced in two areas in Tanzania and the qualification and experiences of the teachers working with the children

Methods: This was part of a larger research project that examined special needs teachers’ learning outcomes at a training on ASD in two regions of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam (Dar) and Arusha. In this study, 66 special needs teachers from 19 different schools completed the Teacher Feedback Survey (West, Jones, Chambers & Whitehurst, 2012). Survey questions included demographic information, qualifications, professional development experiences, number of children taught, and number of children identified as ASD.

Results: The mean age of the participants 40.5 years old with the majority female (74%). Data was organized based on the following categories; work setting (mainstream setting: 32%, special unit: 67%, and other: 4 %); type of degree (Certificate or Diploma); number of children serviced (1,110 total, Dar= 540, Arusha= 570) and age range of children (4-21 years old). The numbers of children were divided by disability categories (identified by the teachers), which included 218 children with ASD, 527 with intellectual disabilities and 27 with hearing and vision impairments. Fifty- three percent of the teachers reported participating in mentoring activities, and 66% reported that they participated in additional training courses.

Conclusions: Results provide preliminary data on the number of children with special needs who received special education instruction in two urban centers in the country. It is not possible to confirm diagnosis of ASD or ID reported due to a lack of assessment facilities in the country or Africa as a whole (Ruparelia et al., 2016), and numbers are based on teacher report alone. Results add to the literature regarding tentative total numbers of children identified as having ASD in two urban areas in Tanzania, along with information regarding the qualification and training of the teachers who work with them. These numbers are almost certainly significant underestimates and do not capture the numbers of children with developmental disabilities in other parts of the country. It is imperative to know the rates of developmental disabilities including ASD in Tanzania and in the rest of Africa so as to advocate for much needed intervention services for these children and their families and provide additional training and resources to teachers and community members who support children and families.