Family Networks to Improve Outcomes in Children with Developmental Disorders: The Fans for Kids Project

In low-income countries, children with developmental disorders (such as intellectual disability and autism) are neglected because of stigma attached to such disorders, lack of awareness in families, and a dearth of specialist facilities. This project aims to organize, train and empower family members, so they can work together, and alongside primary health care, specialist and voluntary agencies to improve the lives of such children. This project will investigate how such networks can be set up in a rural community in Pakistan, develop mobile-tech assisted programmes for their training and supervision, and evaluate their impact on the outcomes of children with developmental disorders and families.