The journal is published for the purpose of advancing scholarship in disability studies and rehabilitation sciences in a uniquely African context. Widely read by scholars, professionals and students, it encourages scholarly exchange between all disciplines and academics from low, middle and high-income countries to work towards the improvement of human development and its practices across the continent.

Background: The number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rapidly increasing globally and requires a supportive educational system to meet the needs of these children.Aim: The study assessed challenges faced by teachers of children with ASD in the public special schools of the Limpopo province, South Africa.Setting: The study was conducted in seven public special schools in the Limpopo province, South Africa.Methods: Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 teachers regarding the challenges they face in educating children with ASD. Tesch’s inductive, descriptive open coding technique enabled the researcher to analyse and report, subthemes that emerged from this qualitative explorative and descriptive data. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical considerations were carried out throughout the study.Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed that the structure and systems of special schools do not support the educational needs of children with ASD. The strategic plans and policy framework on inclusive education are not being executed adequately. Learning for ASD children is not supported because of substandard infrastructure, curricula, lack of teaching material, health practitioners, unbalanced teacher–learner ratio, inadequate staff skills, school culture, shared beliefs and lack of management support.Conclusion: The study revealed challenges faced by special education teachers indicating the influence on the provision of high-quality education to children with ASD. The Department of Basic Education at the national level should monitor all special schools regularly, provide the necessary support and ensure that the complex needs of children with ASD are met.Contribution: The study contributes to understanding of the challenges faced by teachers of children with ASD in providing high quality of education and affirm sound basis of advance information to monitor and evaluate the education of children with ASD in special public schools, which is within the scope of the journal.

Background: Occupational trauma is heightened among police officers due to their exposure to physical, biological, chemical, and psychological hazards. Sustained occupational trauma results in mental illness among members of the police, which is a public health issue of concern. This study aimed to report a scoping review of the literature on strategies employed by police officers for coping with occupational trauma around the globe. Methods: A search string, formulated from the review question of what is known about the strategies of police officers for coping with occupational trauma, was used to search for articles from databases. A total of 588 hits were screened against inclusion criteria, resulting in 36 full-text studies between 1983 and 2022 being included in this review. Data were extracted using a standardised data extraction tool. The multi-step process was used to analyse the extracted data, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results: From this review, ‘adaptive coping mechanisms’, involving confrontation; ‘maladaptive coping mechanisms’, such as self-isolation, distancing and substance use; ‘resilience’, relating to mental preparation, and ‘seeking support systems’ from family, colleagues and professionals reflected the strategies used by police officers to cope with occupational trauma. Social stigma related to mental health disorders impacts the strategies used by police officers to cope with occupational trauma. Conclusions: the police management and healthcare practitioners must collaborate towards providing constructive environments that support and strengthen police officers’ strategies for coping with occupational trauma.

Adolescents and young people (AYP) experience a disproportionate burden of both mental health conditions and HIV, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)-nations classified by the World Bank as having lower or middle economies. Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance use increase HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus that attacks the human immune system and leads to various illnesses when untreated) risk, and negatively affect treatment adherence and outcomes. However, mental health remains insufficiently integrated into HIV research and programming. Evidence on how mental health services are operationally integrated into HIV prevention and treatment for this population is limited and fragmented. This scoping review mapped existing evidence on the integration of mental health services into HIV treatment programs for AYP in LMICs, guided by PRISMA-ScR (a guideline used for reporting scoping reviews in research) and the Person–Concept–Context framework, a framework used to define specific research question in research. In this case, the population was adolescents and young people (10–24 years) receiving HIV prevention or treatment services, the concept referring to the integration of mental health interventions such as screening, assessment and counseling within HIV services, and the context focused on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus and PsycINFO databases were searched for studies published between 2014 and 2024. Eligible studies reported mental health screening, assessment, treatment, or referral within HIV services for AYP in LMICs. Two reviewers independently screened studies, assessed full texts, and extracted data. Of 634 records identified, ten (10) studies met the inclusion criteria. All were conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa and primarily used qualitative or pilot designs. Four integration approaches were identified: routine mental health screening within HIV services, task-shifting to trained lay providers, peer-led and community-based psychosocial support, and culturally adapted, youth-centered psychological interventions. Common barriers included stigma, low mental health literacy, limited training and supervision, staffing constraints, and weak referral systems. Existing evidence is limited, remains exploratory, preliminary, and largely focused on feasibility and implementation experiences, suggesting that integrating mental health services within adolescent HIV care in LMICs may be feasible and acceptable when approaches are contextually adapted and participatory.