Making Up and Caring for 'Autism's Child' in Ethiopia

Abstract

One fundamental conceptualization of the biomedical category of autism is that of the withdrawn child, isolated in an impenetrable world. This trope, and associated neurobiological, cognitive and linguistic markers, have become central to how autism is recognized in both academic research and in popular understanding. In this paper, I draw on fieldwork in Ethiopia, where the first education and care center for autism was founded in the capital of Addis Ababa in 2002. My research explores the relatively recent introduction of the diagnostic category, working principally with Ethiopian parents who have identified and sought care at the center, and educators on staff. I find that the adults understand these children not as withdrawn, but in terms of three key characteristics: a “tied mouth,” an inability to listen, and experiencing inner disturbance. Colloquially, any of these three may mean that a son or daughter is “ye otizm lij” [lit. autism’s child]. Drawing on ethnographic material, I show how, for these parents, these three markers shape how they understand and work to care for their children, and therefore, autism.