Autism in India and America
What’s the most interesting difference between Indian autism
and American autism? I think it’s the
way parents and others perceive it.
Indian and American scientists both lament the low level of
scientific understanding in their respective countries. What’s interesting is how that affects
people’s interpretation of autism.
In American we have a secular culture of blame. “Someone did me wrong” is an all-pervasive
theme in our culture. We interpret
everything from the behavior of other countries to the conduct of ex-spouses
through that lens.
When it comes to “interpreting autism,” that thinking has
spawned toxic notions like, “mercury poisoned my kid,” “vaccine took the light
out of his eyes,” and “big pharma conspiracy.”
To many who hold such beliefs, the idea of natural causes or no real
cause at all is beyond the pale.
India, on the other hand, has a highly spiritual culture of
acceptance. That permeates Indian
society and it’s part of what makes that country so different from our own.
When it comes to autism, people seem much more likely to
attribute it to the work of one deity or another. Or it’s the result of actions
in a past life. Or it “just is.” The difference between those thoughts and
American blame is significant.
Obviously scientists and autism specialists in both
countries may have very different ideas of autism’s causes, but the average
person in the street does not – in either country. And this is about them, not
the science and professional communities (which are in many ways very similar.)
If you’re a spiritual person, you don’t question what is to
the degree secular Americans question everything. In India, that applies to many things – not
just autism. When you visit India, you
can’t help being struck by the poverty all around. With hundreds of millions of people living on
a dollar or two a day, and no resources to materially change that situation,
there seems to be little alternative to acceptance.
My short time in India suggests that we Americans can learn
something from Indians. Their spiritual
acceptance feels a lot healthier than our blaming. When you deal with a situation like autism –
something that “is, and will remain” – acceptance is a healthier place than
anger and blame.
I can say that in America and it often unleashes a fresh
round of anger. In India, they just
smile and nod.
What do you think?
Comments
The point of my comment was that assigning blame or alleging conspiracy is not a productive line of thinking for a parent, and it's injurious to the psyche of the autistic person.
The Indian sense of acceptance is to me a better thing, even though I pull believe in asking and answering the questions.
I have no opinion on the vaccine or mercury theories, only that it remains worth consideration as far as I can see, as do a great many other things. I do not get this extreme emotional reaction to these concepts; scientifically they have to be considered; not reacted to. However I choose to stay far away from this debate, as I've no interest in people's oddly impassioned hatred in this area, which only serves to muddle things even more. I'll give it a few decades to see if the smoke clears and real clarity can prevail.
However, I distinctly remember the moment (about 2 years after my son's diagnosis) when I realised that "hey, this is hard, but he's perfect as he is". From then on, life got a lot easier because I wasn't wasting time and energy raging against the machine, but started dealing with the present and enjoying the fabulous little boy I have.
So, acceptance is great.
But that doesn't mean we should stop asking questions.
It's important to search for a cause, to help future treatments etc. , but from a non-emotional position. The danger in blind acceptance could lead to a stagnation of developing education and social awareness.
However, if you don't let go of the anger at some point it'll damage your mental health and your child's self-esteem...our kids aren't stupid. They feel it when Mammy or Daddy doesn't love them just as they are.
So, for me, I vote acceptance, unconditional love while keeping one eye open on the big picture.
Fab post XXX
This article has some of the words which he used, and I'm certain he has not read this piece. http://the-mouse-trap.com/2006/12/05/schizophrenia-religion-autism-and-the-indian-culture-alternate-title-life-the-universe-and-everything/
The 2nd to the last complete paragraph: In the pats, it was not infrequent, for those who had psychotic experiences to be labeled as shamans and to be treated with respect, rather than stigma and isolation; thus ensuring that they were not exposed to social stresses in the future.
The question of attitude is key, and the challenge for researchers is how open-minded they are willing to be. The fact that autism is a spectrum condition underscores the individuality with which it manifests, and the extent to which it is regarded as an aberration that somehow needs to be ‘fixed’, or evidence of natural neurodiversity which might be of evolutionary importance. What seems not to be in dispute is that wherever we (I have Asperger syndrome) lie on the spectrum, we all experience our environment in a way that is qualitatively different from the neurotypical majority, and the resulting communication challenges impair, to a greater or lesser extent, our ability to integrate into ‘normal’ human society.
It is the social impact that leads me to wonder how we might view autism were we to regard the human species as a collective entity, whose well-being we were trying to assess. From this perspective, is the apparently rising incidence of autism, and mental illness where autism might be a component, inherently meaningful? Might it, for example, be symptomatic of human senses and sensibilities increasingly blunted through over-stimulation, of the ever more frenetic pace of life, of a disposable society hooked on instant gratification? Granted, at the individual level, the cause(s) of autism may well be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but it may be impossible fully to understand the ‘why’ of autism except in the context of society as a whole and the current human condition. And how accepting should we be of that?
The main reason Indian parents accept autism for what it is is because we don't know much about what causes it - whether vaccines or medication. Yes, we attribute it to God too, believing that He has given us something we deserve.
Thanks for elaborating on this so well!
This is something I find troubling, because blame is associated with wrongness. As long as the global "we" view autism as something that is wrong with someone, we're far from the healthiest kind of acceptance--the acceptance of people with autism and the respect for them as people.
In response to the previous thread- So, it is of great importance that we as a society figure out why a portion of our population is highly intelligent, but not great at socializing. Does that mean that it is equally important that we figure out why there are some who are stellar socialites who are not very intelligent?
I liked the way you brought the contrasting thoughts about the two countries in the way of their thinking and acceptance. But I would like to throw light upon certain other notions about India and its way of looking Autism.
Talking about the Karma Theory, it is true that it portrays an internal locus of control and therefore makes it easy for acceptance. But it does not really happen like that. It is surely one of the gateways here but I have explored a lot of blame game, trauma and shock here too.
In the rural parts of India you may notice a group of children playing together and you cannot make out any difference until you go closer. The level of acceptance is more there than in the metropolitan cities. I am a student of Human Development and Childhood Studies and my work and experience with children with Autism and Asperger’s has made me understand the difficulties the child and the parents encounter. Parents do go through the steps described by Duncan (1977)-
Denial- parents make excuses that their child is fine, her/his father or some uncle was also like that when they were her age and so on
Bargaining- parents think, may be charity, or astrology, or through Tantra they can help the child
Anger- seeing everything failing, they are angry with the world, with God and themselves. They blame God, blame themselves and ask why it happened to their child
Depression- parents become sad on not being able to help the child
And finally they accept the fact that their child is different
These stages are a result of the social construct. Since the beginning parents have high hopes from children and performing well in academics and being socially apt is a must. The pressure from the society in being a different family, the imprudent labels make the parents hide from the world. They stop going for outings, family gatherings and ceremonies. In many cases it also leads to family disputes, where the in laws blame the mother. Parents would sooner or later accept but the society does not. Lack of knowledge and awareness, insensitive socialization, weak empowerment model in spite of good laws and policies has surely made Autism a social disability.
Karthikeyan V
Like every mother, may be, my initial reaction was denial..., anger, depression etc. and finally the stage of acceptance. Now finally when i have accepted it...I do really think that If Almighty has chosen my son to be on the autism spectrum....there has to be some reason. I do feel that my son is special, I enjoy each and every moment with him.
This acceptance does not mean that we stop questioning....trying to find out the reasons...scientific explanation. Besides mother I am doctor too....thats why i keep on reading autism related aricles....studies...book...etc, and try to find out why/how it happens.
But to deal with my situation and to help my son to attain his maximum skill...acceptance, whole heartedly....is a must.
"Look me in the eye" is an excellent creation...its a inspiration for all.
Gets people around them to give additional support when they are faced with stress. They are often rigid in their views and behaviour and can be wrongly labeled as selfish, manipulative or anti social. Under sting that persons with autism experience the work differently helps improve communication and tolerance to diversity of human behaviour
Empathy and tolerance is lacking in persons with autism. They are more likely to dislike and not tolerate another autistic person than the Neurotypicals with mature spiritual understanding
Babu