Columbus Ohio is home to over 35,000 Somali refugees. It is noted that Somali families are facing a higher rate of Autism diagnoses than the general population. The Columbus International Program wants to work to ensure that local service providers are able to provide care in a culturally sensitive manner. Also, through community outreach, the goal is to help Somali families better understand what Autism is, how to recognize its symptoms, and how to reach out for help.
There are over 35,000 Somali's currently residing in Columbus, Ohio and the Autism Society of Ohio stated that the 2014 general prevalence rate for diagnosis stands at 1 out of 68. This shows that there is a need for culturally sensitive service execution for the Somali families facing a new diagnosis, as well as outreach to the Somali community to help them better understand what Autism is, how to recognize symptoms, and seek help.
To help meet this need, CIP is proposing to bring up to ten Somali professionals who work in social services or mental health to Columbus, Ohio. They will be assisting local service agencies to better understand the Somali community here in Columbus. This will allow local agencies to better execute service delivery to Somali families in Columbus, Ohio. They will also reach out to the local Somali community to help them to better understand what Autism is within their native cultural context.
The long term goal is to create a better understanding within the Columbus Somali community concerning what Autism is and how to recognize the symptoms within their own children. Second, we want to improve service delivery for the Somali families facing a diagnosis of Autism. Specifically, CIP wants to ensure that service providers are able to deliver service in a culturally sensitive way, allowing Columbus Somali families to cope with Autism within the context of their cultural heritage.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
