Abstract
Background: This study provides information on beliefs that parents of children with autism hold in Iran. The main focus is on their beliefs about the cause and the way that this condition is explained based on the first signs that made them be concerned for their children. Method: To attain the aims of this study, 43 parents of children with ASD (27 mothers and 16 fathers) were recruited and interviewed in two sessions in their home. A mixed method approach was used to understand Iranian parents’ reaction to receive diagnosis for their children. Results: Based on findings for the identification, description, and treatment of ASD in Iran, it is argued that since Iranian parents had their special justification regarding their experience with ASD, early child development and interventions must be understood within cultural context. Culturally informed research on ASD is vital to boost awareness of the importance of understanding parental concerns and their need for educational and psychological services in countries in which autism is less known, undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or even stigmatized. Understanding the difference in ASD meaning across cultures urges stakeholders such as service providers and policymakers to accept and appreciate cultural and individual diversities in the present century.
Highlights
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represents a group of neurodevelopmental disorders marked by impairments in communication/social interactions and special patterns of behaviours with onset during early stages of development [1]
Professionals have stressed the need for an increase in awareness of cultural influences on ASD [13,14], little is known about ASD within a cultural context and the way it is understood in other cultures [15]
The present study investigates Iranian parents of children with ASD, beliefs and ideas about the causes of this diagnosis that are directly rooted from their experience with ASD, as well as the way that the condition and its prognosis are understood by them
Summary
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represents a group of neurodevelopmental disorders marked by impairments in communication/social interactions and special patterns of behaviours with onset during early stages of development [1]. Kim [16] in a comparative study using field notes and semi-structured interviews with families of children with ASD in three different countries consisting of Canada, Nicaragua, and Korea found that ASD is socially and differently constructed in different cultures. This study provides information on beliefs that parents of children with autism hold in Iran. Results: Based on findings for the identification, description, and treatment of ASD in Iran, it is argued that since Iranian parents had their special justification regarding their experience with ASD, early child development and interventions must be understood within cultural context. Informed research on ASD is vital to boost awareness of the importance of understanding parental concerns and their need for educational and psychological services in countries in which autism is less known, undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or even stigmatized. Understanding the difference in ASD meaning across cultures urges stakeholders such as service providers and policymakers to accept and appreciate cultural and individual diversities in the present century
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