Understanding the experiences of
South Asian parents who have a child
with autism
Dr Gurdip Theara & Professor David Abbott
This paper sought to investigate the experiences of South Asian parents living in the UK who have a child
with autism. This had been identified as an under-represented cultural group by previous research in the
field (Ravindran & Myers, 2012). Key ideas from sociocultural theory and intersectionality underpin the
paper which is based on a study that aimed to explore how culture influenced parents’ construction and
experience of their child’s autism.
In-depth interviews were carried out with nine parents and the data was analysed using the Corbin
and Strauss (2008) grounded theory model. The main finding was that parents’ construction of autism
privileged ‘medical model perspectives’ and this was largely underpinned by cultural values and beliefs.
This is turn had a significant impact on how they responded to their child’s autism label and how they
worked with professionals. This paper reflects on how Educational Psychologists can use these insights to
better support and understand the needs of South Asian families who have a child with autism.
Keywords: South Asian; culture; intersectionality; autism; experience; ASD