Influence of culture on social inclusion of children with Autism 165In multicultural communities, there are also additional challenges as children
with Autism and their families need to both participate in their own culture
and that of the mainstream culture. Understanding of the culture is important
in promoting social inclusion for children with Autism. Individuals with Autism
and their families need to be involved in planning interventions and elimi-
nating barriers to participation in society. Programs for supporting individuals
with Autism and their families, and programs for promoting professionals and
community members’ understanding of Autism need to be designed by taking
culturally specific issues into consideration.
Certain aspects of a culture can facilitate social inclusion for persons with dis-
abilities. However, there may be some aspects of a culture that do not align with
human rights approaches toward disability. It may not be possible to change the
culture rapidly, and in certain circumstances attempts should not be made to change
the culture without careful considerations. For example, while the perception of
‘songsarn’ in Thailand can subtlety create stigma towards persons with disabilities,
it can also be interpreted as compassion, and can be pragmatically used to increase
social participation for persons with disabilities. It may not be an ideal approach to
negatively criticize the perception of ‘songsarn’, or aggressively attempt to elimi-
nate the perception of it, without working toward setting up effective systems of
support for persons with disabilities.
Efforts should be made to ensure that cultural beliefs and practices coexist to
help promote human rights approaches toward support for persons with a disability.
Parents from religions discussed in this chapter used their religions as a framework
for interpreting Autism in a positive light. Therefore, religious organizations and
relevant professionals have the potential to support community members in inter-
preting Autism in a way that positively promotes the social inclusion of persons
with Autism.
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