156 Kanokporn Vibulpatanavong
Culture influences how we perceive ourselves and others (West and Turner,
2011). Thus, it also influences how we interact with and relate to others in the
society. For example, each culture interprets disability differently (Ukpokodu and
Ukpokodu, 2012). How people with disabilities perceive themselves, how they are
perceived by others, and the roles that they take on or are given within a society
varies from culture to culture. According to Groce (1999), social acceptance and
resources for support of people with disabilities are influenced by three categories
of cultural beliefs: explanations of why a disability occurs (e.g., a result of God’s
punishment, or an evidence of God’s trust in the parents to take care of the child),
human attributes the society finds important (e.g., if intellectual strength is more
valued in the society than physical strength, physical disability may be less limiting),
and anticipated roles in the future of people with disability (e.g., whether to grow
up to be independent, or to depend on others) (Groce, 1999).
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth
Edition (DSM-V) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), persons with Autism
Spectrum Disorder are persons with (1) difficulties in social communication and
social interaction, and (2) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or
activities. While restricted patterns of behaviors and interests can intensify social
communication and social interaction difficulties for people with Autism (Moldin
and Rubenstein, 2006), social communication and social interaction difficulties can
also intensify restricted patterns of behaviors and interest in people with Autism
(White and Schry, 2011).
Autism occurs in all cultures (Baron-Cohen and Bolton, 1993). However, cul-
tural beliefs and practices of a social group can add complexities to promoting
social inclusion of children with Autism within that group. Cultures influence how
family interpret and cope with Autism ( Jegatheesan, Miller and Fowler, 2010), how
parents choose treatments for their child (Ennis-Cole, Durodoye and Harris, 2013),
how practitioners diagnose Autism (Kang-Yi, Grinker and Mandell, 2013), and
how people in the communities perceive individuals with Autism and their families
(Kwang Hwang and Charnley, 2010). Adding to the complexities is the difficulties of
children with Autism to learn and understand certain aspects of the culture. As cul-
ture is learned through socialization, difficulties in social communication and social
interaction can reduce the opportunities of children with Autism to participate in
social situations. Even when children with Autism participate in social situations,
they may not interpret the situations correctly due to difficulties in understand-
ing other people’s point of views and non-verbal communications. While children
with Autism do not display behaviors according to the cultural expectations, the
opportunities for them to be socially included in the community are even more
reduced. To further complicate the picture, several countries are becoming more
multicultural (Geisinger, 2003). Children with Autism and their families may not
be from the dominant culture of the society, and thus they may have to cope with
additional issues, such as whether a child with Autism should learn the dominant
language only, or also learn his or her parents’ native languages ( Jegatheesan, 2011).
Therefore, teachers and professionals need to understand the additional issues that