Exploring Autism, Culture, and Immigrant Experiences: Lessons from Sri Lankan Tamil Mothers.
Kajaani Shanmugarajah, Peter Rosenbaum, Briano Di Rezze
PMID 35257593WHAT IT FOUND
For Sri Lankan Tamil mothers, the biggest barriers to autism care were language, finances, and housing, not cultural clashes with therapists.
Many withheld religious practices from providers, fearing misunderstanding. Trust was built through practical support and shared ethnicity, not just cultural competence.
Key findings
01Mothers identified language, financial constraints, and housing as primary barriers, rather than conflicts with Western medical culture.
02Most mothers did not share religious or cultural practices with health service providers because they believed the providers would not understand or see it as relevant.
03Having a provider of the same cultural background or accessing culturally-specific centers significantly improved communication and trust.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only included mothers, so it does not reflect the experiences of fathers or other caregivers. All children were adolescents or adults (16–23 years old), so the findings may not apply to families with younger children who are currently navigating early intervention services. Participants were recruited from a single culturally specific centre, meaning their experiences may not represent families who do not have access to such supportive, culturally aligned services. Some interviews were conducted in English, which may have limited the depth of expression for mothers with significant language barriers.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board. The SAAAC Autism Centre assisted with recruitment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that cultural competence training is unnecessary. The study suggests that for this group, practical barriers like language and money were more pressing than cultural clashes, but it does not mean culture is irrelevant. It highlights that providers must ask families about their specific needs rather than assuming what cultural barriers exist.