Theses Bachelor's

Cultural Belief Systems in Autism and the Effects on Families

Ecker, Jaclyn

Autism has become widely known as the developmental disease defined by characteristics of impaired social interactions, such as lack of verbal communication and lack of eye contact, and disruptive behavior, such as repetitive actions and tantrums. Although the characteristics of autism are commonly found across cultures, the way a culture interprets the causation and constructs the experience of autism varies greatly. As a whole, families with autistic children have been perceived by their societies in different ways causing the families to be shaped by the belief systems of autism specific to their society. The different social implications of autism, the effects these implications have for a family, and the way in which the family responds to cultural beliefs about autism will be explored in families from South Korea and China, as well as in Muslim families from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Ultraorthodox Jewish families from Israel.

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Academic Units
Psychology (Barnard College)
Degree
B.A., Barnard College
Published Here
May 26, 2011