ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While most autism research is conducted in White Western samples, culture may affect perceptions and reporting of autistic traits. We explored how UK-based British and Egyptian/Sudanese communities perceive autism features. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Nineteen participants self-identifying as British and 20 as Egyptian/Sudanese participated in focus group discussions on child development norms, and individual interviews on items of the Autism-spectrum Quotient: Children's version (AQ-Child; Auyeung et al., 2007), measuring autistic traits. Data were analysed using template analysis. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Three themes were developed: 1) Value judgements of behaviours; 2) Considerations on differences between children; 3) Problematic interpretations of AQ-Child items. These processes may affect how parents and community members report on children's autistic traits. Cross-cultural comparisons suggested subtle differences in interpretations and judgements, and British participants referred to age expectations and comparisons with other children more than Egyptian/Sudanese participants. However, within-group variability, sometimes attributed to socioeconomic status and generation, appeared larger than cross-cultural differences. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings further the insights on influence of culture and within-community factors on reporting children's behaviour relevant to autism. These can inform the adaptation of screening tools in multi-cultural settings, to promote better autism recognition in communities where it may be underdiagnosed.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic Disorder , Humans , Autistic Disorder/diagnosis , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis , Egypt , Parents , United KingdomABSTRACT
The original version of this article contains additional supplementary material which was omitted during the initial submission and it was not published. These are graphical representations of the studies and effect sizes in each meta-analysis. Please note that there is no change to the main body of the article, data entered, or conclusions drawn from the meta-analyses.
ABSTRACT
This review (Prospero Registration Number: CRD42017057915) aimed to systematically identify and summarize existing research on the relationship between additional emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) in children with autism, and parenting stress (PS) and mental health problems (MHP) in their parents. Sixty-seven studies met criteria for inclusion in the review, 61 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled correlation coefficients were in the low to moderate range ([Formula: see text]). Some evidence for moderation by measurement characteristics was found. Narrative review of concurrent adjusted associations showed some evidence for shared relationships with other factors, most notably ASD severity and parent perception of own parenting. Longitudinal studies showed mixed evidence for bidirectional predictive relationships between child EBP and parent psychological distress variables.
