Building Inclusive Communities: Examining Expert Perspectives on Support Systems for Families with Autistic Children in Malaysia

Abstract

This qualitative research survey seeks to establish the views of the key stakeholders on community support structures for families of autistic children in Malaysia. Using semi-structured interviews of four specialists in autism, the study identifies the factors that enable and hinder access to community support, noting the importance of raising the level of acceptance and knowledge amongst ordinary citizens. Such analysis led the identification of themes like: Societal awareness unknowns, support systems’ deficits, and communalism calls. It fills the gap in theory by providing preliminary indicators to develop a theoretical Community Support Integration Framework (CSIF), underlining the organisation of the support systems with the principles of inclusive communities. This research affirms to recent occurrences asserting the exigent need to raise community awareness and acceptance for families with autistic persons.