List the top 20 questions your team needs to answer to advance the venture forward. Categorize the questions if necessary.
| 1 | How are we going to disseminate information when autism is not defined? |
| 2 | How can we teach the people of S.L. in a culturally appropriate way? |
| 3 | How do we break the spiritual beliefs of the cause of autism? |
| 4 | How can we train the workers in a short amount of time about the great depth of autism? |
| 5 | How can we validate the screener when there is nothing similar to it to do construct validity? |
| 6 | What type of screener would be “easiest” to use (checklist, electronically, interviews, etc.)? |
| 7 | How can we validate the screener with a small sample size? |
| 8 | How can we effectively communicate with the people of S.L. in order to avoid cultural barriers? |
| 9 | How can we effectively provide training on autism with limited resources in the field (no PP, no handouts)? |
| 10 | How do we explain and share information about autism and other disabilities (verbally, pictures, videos, etc.) |
| 11 | How do we locate the people that need this help when they don’t attend school? |
| 12 | How can we encourage and monitor the implementation of the screening tools? |
| 13 | How much time do parents of individuals with suspected disabilities spend around typically developing kids? Will they have a frame of reference for their child’s behavior/development? |
| 14 | Who will be good citizens in Sierra Leone who can introduce us to these families? |
| 15 | How can we help families/guardians support people with autism? |
| 16 | What other organizations can we collaborate with to increase the resources available for treatment after diagnosis? |
| 17 | How can we help students with autism be included in schools without fear of bullying? |
| 18 | Who can continue to sustain the system we’ve built after we have left the country? |
| 19 | Will our research open doors to the other types of research on different disabilities? |
| 20 | What other countries have a similar lack of research and funding in regards to autism? |
Develop and Visualize the Theory of Change
| Stakeholders | Inputs | Outputs | Outcomes | Impacts |
| -Community Health Workers
– World Hope International Workers – Families of children suspected of having autism – Teachers/Schools – Sierra Leone Autistic Society |
– time
– money – screeners – trainings |
– Number of people screened
– Number of people trained to identify stereotypic behaviors related to autism – Number of local people reliably trained to administer the screener – Number of individuals with autism who reach adulthood |
– Children with disabilities are included in the schools & receive services to help them
– Caregivers have a reduced level of stress – People have an accurate understanding of what autism and other disabilities are |
– Inclusion for students with autism in schools and communities
– Prevalence data leading to more interest groups devoting funding to education and intervention for individuals with autism in Sierra Leone – Shedding light on the scientific basis of autism (e.g., environmental, genetic) vs. supernatural (e.g., demonic possession) – Reduction in the seclusion of families who have a child with autism for fear of bullying |
Great job. Your 20 questions are all really important (and many of them difficult to answer!) I see in your logic model that you’ll have some strong partners on the ground which is great – they’ll be able to educate you on a lot of the context rather than you having to figure it out yourselves, and help continue the work when you leave.