There is no doubt we live in a diverse world, full of many different cultures. So how do these different cultures handle Autism?
I found a great deal of information on this topic as I conducted my research. SFARI released an article in 2013, Mild Traits of Autism May Shift With Cultures, Study Says. A team of researchers began comparing children in the UK and Finland. Their findings were published in Autism. Using the DSM-5's diagnosing guidelines the researchers were amazed how similar children with ASD presented in their study. Researchers compared the mild traits, also known as the BAP (broad autism phenotype), and found that Finnish children do not follow the DSM guidelines. Researchers believe this could be due to the difference in language, culture, and genetics of the Fins vs. those in the UK.
Cultures vary greatly in language, behaviors, and interpretation of behavior. I address examples of these behavioral differences in my blog about Social Prompting. What the SFARI article shows us is not all countries interpret Autism the same way, but there are striking similarities between children with Autism around the world. An example of this is eye contact. The proper length of eye contact differs across cultures. For instance, in some Asian cultures it is considered rude to look someone in the eye, while Americans find it odd or even disrespectful for someone not to look you in the eye.
Another article published by SFARI in 2011, Researchers Track Down Autism Rates Across the Globe, discusses a huge cultural issue in the opening paragraph. In South Korea, some families go to great lengths to avoid an Autism diagnosis. That culture considers Autism to be a genetic mark of shame and impacts the entire family. To hide this they usually push for a diagnosis of Reactive Detachment Disorder, and only shame the child's mother, sparing the rest of the family. Archaic, yes, but try to push past your impulse to be angry and consider it in the context of this blog. That information tells me that this culture needs more Autism education, which is ok, after all at one point in our lives we were not so educated in Autism. Since it is a fact that only approximately 15% of Autism cases are genetically caused, it can be safely assumed that many people are being blamed for something out of their control in that culture.
In fact the US, Canada, and the UK lead the rest of the world in mental health medicine, awareness, and prevalence studies. One professor from China admitted in the SFARI article that Autism is still a new topic in many places around the world. Prevalence of Autism studies in other countries will help those countries develop government and non-profit programs to benefit these families. The problem is not just abroad. In the US the states with the highest prevalence rates are also the states with the best health care and support services for Autism. Those states include Arizona, Missouri, and New Jersey; while some of the fewest services and lowest prevalence rates are found in Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida. I find that for being so prevalent in the US, in fact 1 in 68 are diagnosed with ASD, there is so little Autism education in all levels of school, government, and among the general public.
Culture impacts many aspects of our everyday lives, sometimes without us even noticing. Autism Gateway published an article about Cultural Differences and how those differences impact Autism. For instance, they cite the difference between Puerto Rican mothers vs. white mothers. Did you know that Puerto Rican mothers, mostly, expect their children to be potty trained at an earlier age than white mothers, but white mothers expect children to be able to name colors at an earlier age than Puerto Rican mothers? That is one example of a cultural impact in everyday life.
Their study also found that different cultures notice different Autism cues, more than others. For instance Indian parents are more likely to notice socialization speech delays and American families are more likely to notice general development delays or regressions in language. Cultures accent what is important to them, and we, being part of a culture, will accent those important aspects in our minds. So do American families value language and development more than Indian families? Not always, but as a collective culture this maybe very true. Think about it. I am American. If someone came to me and asked: "Which is more important development or socialization?" I would answer development. That does not mean I don't value socialization, but I don't consider it as important as development, so I will not accent it as much as I would development. Please don't misunderstand; this is not a bad thing. It is just my culture.
Also in relation to Autism is the cultural acceptance in the recognition of ASD symptoms and how they are attributed. For instance, this study found that Asian/Pacific and African American parents are less likely than white parents to accept that their child's behavior is indicative of an underlying disorder. This delays the diagnosis of disorders and as we know Autism needs early intervention for the greatest chance of success.
So how do we help? First we have to bridge the gap. Did you know that non-English speakers are less likely to be diagnosed at an early age? That did not surprise me. This suspicion is what drove me to begin translating my blog posts into Spanish and allow this blog to also be translated into Russian. Our teachers and clinicians have to adopt these tactics as well, providing foreign language speakers with appropriate information on this topic. The Massachusetts Act Early program has designed many free materials to help in many different business settings. As always we need to focus on better insurance benefits, non-profit programs, and government programs for these families, our families. We have to push for better education in the school system. Its awareness. Only after educating can we raise awareness among the rest of the population and impact our cultures in a positive way.
For more information about the cultural impact on Autism, please read these articles:
The Impact of Culture on Autism Diagnosis and Treatment
Autism Consortium: Cultural Considerations in Autism Diagnosis
As always we are here for you at Aiden's Heroes. Please follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!
Cultures vary greatly in language, behaviors, and interpretation of behavior. I address examples of these behavioral differences in my blog about Social Prompting. What the SFARI article shows us is not all countries interpret Autism the same way, but there are striking similarities between children with Autism around the world. An example of this is eye contact. The proper length of eye contact differs across cultures. For instance, in some Asian cultures it is considered rude to look someone in the eye, while Americans find it odd or even disrespectful for someone not to look you in the eye.
In fact the US, Canada, and the UK lead the rest of the world in mental health medicine, awareness, and prevalence studies. One professor from China admitted in the SFARI article that Autism is still a new topic in many places around the world. Prevalence of Autism studies in other countries will help those countries develop government and non-profit programs to benefit these families. The problem is not just abroad. In the US the states with the highest prevalence rates are also the states with the best health care and support services for Autism. Those states include Arizona, Missouri, and New Jersey; while some of the fewest services and lowest prevalence rates are found in Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida. I find that for being so prevalent in the US, in fact 1 in 68 are diagnosed with ASD, there is so little Autism education in all levels of school, government, and among the general public.
Culture impacts many aspects of our everyday lives, sometimes without us even noticing. Autism Gateway published an article about Cultural Differences and how those differences impact Autism. For instance, they cite the difference between Puerto Rican mothers vs. white mothers. Did you know that Puerto Rican mothers, mostly, expect their children to be potty trained at an earlier age than white mothers, but white mothers expect children to be able to name colors at an earlier age than Puerto Rican mothers? That is one example of a cultural impact in everyday life.
Their study also found that different cultures notice different Autism cues, more than others. For instance Indian parents are more likely to notice socialization speech delays and American families are more likely to notice general development delays or regressions in language. Cultures accent what is important to them, and we, being part of a culture, will accent those important aspects in our minds. So do American families value language and development more than Indian families? Not always, but as a collective culture this maybe very true. Think about it. I am American. If someone came to me and asked: "Which is more important development or socialization?" I would answer development. That does not mean I don't value socialization, but I don't consider it as important as development, so I will not accent it as much as I would development. Please don't misunderstand; this is not a bad thing. It is just my culture.
Also in relation to Autism is the cultural acceptance in the recognition of ASD symptoms and how they are attributed. For instance, this study found that Asian/Pacific and African American parents are less likely than white parents to accept that their child's behavior is indicative of an underlying disorder. This delays the diagnosis of disorders and as we know Autism needs early intervention for the greatest chance of success.
So how do we help? First we have to bridge the gap. Did you know that non-English speakers are less likely to be diagnosed at an early age? That did not surprise me. This suspicion is what drove me to begin translating my blog posts into Spanish and allow this blog to also be translated into Russian. Our teachers and clinicians have to adopt these tactics as well, providing foreign language speakers with appropriate information on this topic. The Massachusetts Act Early program has designed many free materials to help in many different business settings. As always we need to focus on better insurance benefits, non-profit programs, and government programs for these families, our families. We have to push for better education in the school system. Its awareness. Only after educating can we raise awareness among the rest of the population and impact our cultures in a positive way.
The Impact of Culture on Autism Diagnosis and Treatment
Autism Consortium: Cultural Considerations in Autism Diagnosis
As always we are here for you at Aiden's Heroes. Please follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!
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