Influence of culture on social inclusion of children with Autism 157children with Autism and their families might face ( Jegatheesan, 2011), and attempt
to promote social inclusion of children with Autism in a way that is respectful to
their cultural identities.
Thailand is a country in the Southeast Asia region with a population of over
60 million people. It borders Laos to the Northeast, Burma to the Northwest and
West, Cambodia to the Southeast, and Malaysia to the South. The official language
of the country is Thai. Ninety-four point six per cent of the population practice
Buddhism, 4.6 per cent Islam, 0.7 per cent Christianity, and 0.1 per cent other
religions or have no religion (National Statistical Office, 2011). The number of
children with Autism in Thailand is not clearly known, however in a review of the
prevalence rate of Autism in several countries worldwide by Kopetz and Endowed
(2012), 180,000 children in Thailand were diagnosed with Autism.
This chapter discusses cultural influences on the social inclusion of children
with Autism. It uses Thailand and Thai culture as a case example; however, studies of
other countries are also included for further explanation and for comparison. Three
central aspects of culture relevant to the inclusion of children with Autism are
discussed: (1) religious and local cultural views of Autism, (2) language issues con-
cerning Autism, and (3) cultural perceptions of social skills of children with Autism.
In writing this chapter, an interview was conducted with ten Thai parents whose
children with Autism are receiving support in a provincial special education center
in Thailand, and with regular teachers and special education teachers in two public
schools in the same province. A Buddhist monk, who taught Dharma to a regular
school in Bangkok, was also interviewed for specific understanding of Buddhism in
relation to the social inclusion of children with Autism.
Religious and local cultural views of Autism
Central to culture is religious and local cultural perception. In the following section,
studies relevant to theistic religions’ views of Autism are examined and discussed.
This is followed by a discussion of how Buddhism, a non-theistic religion and the
religion practiced by the majority of people in Thailand, influences the social inclu-
sion of children with Autism.
There is limited research on how religions influence the social inclusion of
children with Autism. While Buddhism believes in natural laws that govern lives,
several other widely practiced religions are theistic, believing in the will of God. In
Islamic religion, Jegatheesan et al. (2010) revealed that South Asian Muslim immi-
grant families living in the United States relied on their religion in making sense of
Autism. The Muslim parents believed that they were blessed to be chosen by Allah
to take care of his child, because they were moral, or resilient, or that Allah was test-
ing their spiritual qualities. In addition, a Shiite Muslim family in this study believed
in reincarnation and karma, and that the mother and the child may have unfinished
business in their past life. According to the researchers, the religious perspectives of
the parents influenced them “to raise their children as normally as possible, incor-
porating them into ordinary social, linguistic, and religious practices at home and