Abstract
BackgroundIn this article, we reflected on our experience of the cost of parenting a child with autism, including our ongoing search for educational and therapeutic intervention.ObjectivesWe aimed to give an academic insight into the state of autism education and care in South Africa as seen by us, with special attention to its cost and sustainability.MethodsUsing evocative autoethnography as storied scholarship together with critical autism studies, we reflected on stories of the past 5 years since our son’s diagnosis.ResultsOur experiences agree with international studies that establish autism as the most expensive disability. In addition to the high costs of diagnosis, existing intervention and support approaches are unaffordable for the majority of South Africans. We recommend that teachers should be trained to participate in early screening and diagnosis, as well as co-therapists, to strengthen the implementation of inclusive education.ConclusionThe kind of autism intervention currently offered in South Africa is financially and socially unsustainable. Instead of positioning autism as an individual or family dilemma, it should be addressed as an educational and societal issue. Future research should explore cost-effective options for a developing country context, while promoting best practice within inclusive settings.
Highlights
We reflect on our lived experience of parenting a child with autism, our search for educational and therapeutic intervention
We soon discovered that autism is positioned as the most expensive disability for which parents need impossibly deep pockets. This is known to be true internationally (Cidav et al 2013; Dillenburger, McKerr & Jordan 2014; Fletcher, Markoulakis & Bryden 2012; Horlin et al 2014; Lin 2014), but what is the case in South Africa?
We struggled to accept it, we commenced speech therapy as a speech therapist was readily available at his first preschool
Summary
We reflect on our lived experience of parenting a child with autism, our search for educational and therapeutic intervention. We reflected on our experience of the cost of parenting a child with autism, including our ongoing search for educational and therapeutic intervention. We are both academics with PhDs. We are not typical parents because we can assess teachers’ knowledge and skills, analyse assessment reports and ask questions. We are highly educated and privileged, and one might expect that we would be better prepared than most to deal with the experience of rearing a child with special needs This has not proven to be the case. We too have experienced financial strain and uncertainty
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
