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ASD in people from foreign backgrounds

Arran

Almost all studies into ASD published in English has been by carried out by culturally British or American people using culturally British or American people as their subjects. Far less research appears to have been carried out into people from culturally foreign backgrounds, or people who follow religions other than Christianity (and possibly Judaism in the US).

Therefore information about how ASD manifests in such people is scarce and largely unknown within psychology and ASD support communities. American publications are very unlikely to include findings from foreign communities which are significant in Britain but smaller, or even invisible, in the US. 

My own experience of the NAS is that it is dominated by white, British, socially conservative, middle class people from the suburbs and the shires. The NAS superficially claims to uphold an inclusive and multicultural society but in reality it has a generally poor knowledge of foreign cultures and non-Christian religions.

Parents

  • Has the NAS got any statistics for the number of Muslims of south Asian origin (exclude Muslims of other genetic origins) and Hindus of south Asian origin (almost all are) with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism who live in Britain?

    If such figures exist then it may help to shine some light on whether these conditions are caused by nature or nurture due to the differences in the cultural upbringing of children.

    The Islamic system of education is not to start formal schooling until the age of 7. In practice a high proportion of Muslim children under the age of 7 attend school but parents are rarely inclined to push them academically at a young age. A higher than average (and quite large) proportion of Muslim children leave school with poor GCSEs, even failing to achieve 5 C grades minimum, unless their parents are professionals from the A and B socioeconomic groups. Muslim children also spend much more time studying religious matters out of school hours than almost all children who follow other religions.

    Hindu parents value education and are keen to push their children academically from a young age. They also encourage the study of harder subjects like mathematics and science and discourage soft subjects when choosing GCSE options. As a result Hindu children leave school with higher than average GCSE grades (believed to be second only to Chinese children and higher than white indigenous British) even if they are from less well off backgrounds. Hindu children rarely spend much time studying religious matters outside of school. About the same amount of time as an average Christian does.

Reply

  • Has the NAS got any statistics for the number of Muslims of south Asian origin (exclude Muslims of other genetic origins) and Hindus of south Asian origin (almost all are) with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism who live in Britain?

    If such figures exist then it may help to shine some light on whether these conditions are caused by nature or nurture due to the differences in the cultural upbringing of children.

    The Islamic system of education is not to start formal schooling until the age of 7. In practice a high proportion of Muslim children under the age of 7 attend school but parents are rarely inclined to push them academically at a young age. A higher than average (and quite large) proportion of Muslim children leave school with poor GCSEs, even failing to achieve 5 C grades minimum, unless their parents are professionals from the A and B socioeconomic groups. Muslim children also spend much more time studying religious matters out of school hours than almost all children who follow other religions.

    Hindu parents value education and are keen to push their children academically from a young age. They also encourage the study of harder subjects like mathematics and science and discourage soft subjects when choosing GCSE options. As a result Hindu children leave school with higher than average GCSE grades (believed to be second only to Chinese children and higher than white indigenous British) even if they are from less well off backgrounds. Hindu children rarely spend much time studying religious matters outside of school. About the same amount of time as an average Christian does.

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