Supporting Social Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Insights from Research and Practice

Influence of culture on social inclusion of children with Autism 159

is getting better, I believe... I pray for “Chaokamnaiwain” (the persons she is

in debt to in the past life).... Whatever she did wrong, if I practice dharma, I

hope my good deeds will go the Khukamkhuwain (the persons who shared

past deeds together).

Ratanakul (1999, p. 20) explains that karma in Buddhism “does not lead to fatal-
ism, nor to pessimism”. It does not entail “complete determinism” (Ratanakul,
1999, p. 20). In the interview with a Buddhist monk for this book chapter, he
elaborated:

Kam (Karma) mean actions. It’s about causes and effects. Whatever one does,

the person will receive the consequences.... As you sow, and so shall you

reap. But that does not mean that one should be discouraged. If you think

like this, it’s finished, no more courage.... There is a saying that there is a jar

half filled with water. There is a spoon of salt mixing with the water, and you

cannot separate them. Water is compared to good deeds. Salt is compared to

bad deeds.... If we add more salt, the water will be so salty that it cannot be

drunk. But if you add more water, the salt will be diluted and you may not

taste the salt anymore. We may have committed bad deeds but if we do more

and more good deeds, the bad deeds cannot affect us, just like that we cannot

taste the saltiness of the water.

The Buddhist monk also further stressed that it is important for persons with
disability to further develop through practice.

In Buddhism, we talk about working with what we have, the best persons are

not the persons who own the best things, but are persons who make the best

of what they have. We must further develop ourselves. There is a Buddhist

saying... humans are noble through practice.... People with disabilities need

to think that they can develop themselves, in our own ways, not the same

ways as other people.... We add on, develop from what we have.

Some Buddhist parents rely on the principles of karma in explaining the occur-
rence of Autism and other related challenges in their lives (e.g., the delay in the
diagnosis). The religious belief gives parents some answers and helps them reach a
level of acceptance so they can move forward. Similar to the studies on the theist
religions discussed above, the principles of karma can be interpreted positively.
Although it is possible there are parents who may develop a deterministic attitude
(i.e., feeling helpless, believing there is nothing they can do to change the situation),
these parents can be supported by professionals and Buddhist monks to reinterpret
karma in the way that allows them to promote the development of their child with
Autism.
Community members’ perceptions of children with Autism can also be influ-
enced by the belief in karma. According to Kilbort-Crocker (2012) the belief in