Beliefs and Practices Regarding Autism in Indian Families Now Settled Abroad

Ravindran, Neeraja; Myers, Barbara J.

doi:10.1177/1088357612458970

Cited by 33 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Overall, these factors are consistent with sources of support identified by parents of children with IDDs in other cultural groups in the U.S.A., while lack of these contribute to increased stress (Gupta 2007). In particular, the role of extended family support (or lack thereof due to geographic distance) appears to be fairly unique to Asian Indian immigrant parents, also referenced by Indian parents in the diaspora in other studies (Ravindran and Myers 2012b). Parents in the current sample did not identify stress specifically related to their migration experience (i.e., acculturative stress) or related to their ethnic minority status (e.g., racial discrimination) in the U.S.A. Parents in this study were fluent speakers of English, college educated, and employed in primarily professional jobs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Parenting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Asian Indian Families in the United States

Zechella

Raval

2015

J Child Fam Stud

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Asian Indian immigrant parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have unique experiences and challenges grounded within their cultural contexts and migration to United States. This study sought to describe these experiences using qualitative method. Open-ended interviews were individually conducted with 15 Asian Indian parents (8 mothers, 7 fathers) whose children were diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Autistic Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental DisorderNot Otherwise Specified. Qualitative analysis generated 16 themes that were grouped into five domains: Cultural explanations, community response, and migration; impact on the self and family; sources of stress and support; a unique parenting approach; and hopes and fears for the future. In particular, parents described their local community's initial struggles with acceptance of IDD grounded within religious explanations of the disability. Similar to parents of children with IDD from other cultural groups, these parents described family support, broader social awareness and acceptance, and access to resources as sources of support and the lack of these factors as contributing to stress. A unique parenting approach emerged in reference to the child with IDD that included adjusting academic aspirations for the child, taking a practical, ''1 day at a time'' approach, and efforts to pass on cultural heritage. Parents voiced concerns about the future care of their child when they would not be around, as well as their hopes. These findings suggest the importance of attending to cultural meanings and local contexts when understanding parenting experiences.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Parenting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Asian Indian Families in the United States

Zechella

Raval

2015

J Child Fam Stud

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“…For example, in a study in Ethiopia examining the explanatory models of caregivers of children with developmental disorders, 36% of the caregivers provided at least one biological/medical explanation as well as a supernatural explanation for their child's condition . Similar coexistence of explanations has been reported in very different cultural settings including a Jewish ultraorthodox community in Israel (Shaked, 2005;Shaked & Bilu, 2006), in Taiwan (Shyu et al, 2010) and in a study of Indian parents who migrated abroad (Ravindran & Myers, 2013). A common thread in causal explanations for a child's autism is that the perceived locus of control is laid with parents, especially mothers.…”

Section: Explanatory Models Of Recognised Atypical Behavioursupporting

confidence: 62%

A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Cultural and Contextual Factors on Autism Across the Globe

2020

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Autism research is heavily skewed towards western high-income countries. Culturally appropriate screening and diagnostic instruments for autism are lacking in most low-and middle-income settings where the majority of the global autism population lives. To date, a clear overview of the possible cultural and contextual factors that may affect the process of identifying and diagnosing individuals with ASD is missing. This study aims to outline these factors by proposing a conceptual framework. A multidisciplinary review approach was applied to inform the development of the conceptual framework, combining a systematic review of the relevant autism research literature with a wider literature search spanning key texts in global mental health, cultural psychiatry, cross-cultural psychology and intellectual disability research. The resulting conceptual framework considers the identification, helpseeking and diagnostic process at four interrelated levels: i) the expression, ii) recognition, iii) interpretation and iv) reporting of autism symptoms, and describes the cultural and contextual factors associated with each of these levels, including cultural norms of typical and atypical behaviour, culture-specific approaches to parenting, mental health literacy, cultural beliefs, attitudes and stigma, as well as the affordability, availability, accessibility and acceptability of services. This framework, mapping out the cultural and contextual factors that can affect the identification, help-seeking and diagnosis of ASD, may function as a springboard for the development of culturally appropriate autism screening and diagnostic instruments, and inform future cross-cultural autism research directions. The framework also has relevance for clinicians and policy makers aiming to improve support for underserved autism populations worldwide. Lay summaryThe vast majority of autism research is conducted in western high-income settings. We therefore know relatively little of how culture and context can affect the identification, helpseeking and diagnosis of autism across the globe. This paper synthesises what is known from the autism research literature and a broader literature and maps out how culture and context may affect i) the expression, ii) recognition, iii) interpretation and iv) reporting of autism symptoms.

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“…For example, in a study in Ethiopia examining the explanatory models of caregivers of children with developmental disorders, 36% of the caregivers provided at least one biological/medical explanation as well as a supernatural explanation for their child's condition (Tilahun et al, 2016). Similar coexistence of explanations has been reported in very different cultural settings including a Jewish ultraorthodox community in Israel (Shaked, 2005;Shaked & Bilu, 2006), in Taiwan (Shyu et al, 2010) and in a study of Indian parents who migrated abroad (Ravindran & Myers, 2013). A common thread in causal explanations for a child's autism is that the perceived locus of control is laid with parents, especially mothers.…”

Section: Explanatory Models Of Recognised Atypical Behavioursupporting

confidence: 62%

A conceptual framework for understanding the cultural and contextual factors on autism across the globe

Leeuw¹,

Happé²,

Hoekstra³

2019

Preprint

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Autism research is heavily skewed towards western high-income countries. Culturally appropriate screening and diagnostic instruments for autism are lacking in most low- and middle-income settings where the majority of the global autism population lives. To date, a clear overview of the possible cultural and contextual factors that may affect the process of identifying and diagnosing individuals with ASD is missing. This study aims to outline these factors by proposing a conceptual framework. A multidisciplinary review approach was applied to inform the development of the conceptual framework, combining a systematic review of the relevant autism research literature with a wider literature search spanning key texts in global mental health, cultural psychiatry, cross-cultural psychology and intellectual disability research. The resulting conceptual framework considers the identification, help-seeking and diagnostic process at four interrelated levels: i) the expression, ii) recognition, iii) interpretation and iv) reporting of autism symptoms, and describes the cultural and contextual factors associated with each of these levels, including cultural norms of typical and atypical behaviour, culture-specific approaches to parenting, mental health literacy, cultural beliefs, attitudes and stigma, as well as the affordability, availability, accessibility and acceptability of services. This framework, mapping out the cultural and contextual factors that can affect the identification, help-seeking and diagnosis of ASD, may function as a springboard for the development of culturally appropriate autism screening and diagnostic instruments, and inform future cross-cultural autism research directions. The framework also has relevance for clinicians and policy makers aiming to improve support for underserved autism populations worldwide.

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Beliefs and Practices Regarding Autism in Indian Families Now Settled Abroad

Cited by 33 publications

References 33 publications

Parenting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Asian Indian Families in the United States

Parenting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Asian Indian Families in the United States

A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Cultural and Contextual Factors on Autism Across the Globe

A conceptual framework for understanding the cultural and contextual factors on autism across the globe

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