Jamaica Turns to CARD Staff for Expertise on Behavioral Support for Children with Autism and Related Disabilities

Families everywhere find it difficult to navigate the system in their search for supports for children with autism and related disabilities. Families in Jamaica find it even more difficult, as very few supports exist. According to a Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture report, the Special Education program in Jamaica “continues to suffer from the lack of sufficient numbers of trained teachers, inadequate facilities and equipment and irregularity in student attendance."

In order to help bring change to families in Jamaica, the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA), and the Rotary Club of Kingston sponsored a program in April to share knowledge about supporting children with disabilities who display significant behavior challenges in their school, home, and community settings.

CFS staff members from the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities Bobbie Vaughn and Amanda Keating were invited as guest presenters, and discussed the process of making positive behavior support available in and outside of school. Vaughn focused on behavior management for young children while Keating shared her knowledge on the issues facing adolescents and young adults.

“Jamaica lacks professionals specializing in autism spectrum disorders,” said Amanda Keating. “While the problems are the same everywhere, the solutions just aren’t as readily available for families in Jamaica. They are trying to do as much as they can with what they have, but many needs are not being met. There is a great need for intervention.”

Amanda said that families get little relief from the behavioral challenges of their child. Most children haven’t had the supports to learn communication skills, which for many involve visual materials that are not available. Poverty also makes it difficult for Jamaican parents (usually single moms) to take time off for their child. They are left struggling, and may be faced with no good alternatives. For example, one mom shared that her only choice was to lock her child with autism in a bedroom all day while she worked. The child would destroy the room, and the mom would come home each night to scrub and put the room back together.

As part of the program, the Jamaican perspective was presented by Dr. Maureen Samms-Vaughan, who works at the University of West Indies at Kingston, a major medical teaching facility. Samms-Vaughn also runs the clinic where many families come to diagnose their child’s problems. She revealed that in the last 5-6 years, Jamaica has seen a dramatic increase in autism. Since 2003, there have been 40 new cases per year. (In comparison, a total of 75 new cases were identified between 1990 - 1998.)

“Participants were so hungry for information,” said Bobbie Vaughn. “They took every piece of material we brought, and one woman took the time to turn around and come back to say how valuable the presentations were. We hope to be invited back to help them become better equipped to serve their families in need.”

For additional information, contact Amanda Keating at 813-974-1263, or Bobbie Vaughn at 813-974-6104.

CARD is housed within the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS), a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.