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'Taboo' autism seen as 'disease' in ethnic communities

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thoughtbeast
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16 Aug 2018, 8:41 am

'Taboo' autism seen as 'disease' in ethnic communities

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In Swansea, the Chinese Autism Support Group is aiming to improve knowledge and understanding.

It was set up by Hazel Lim, who has an autistic child and a masters degree in the condition.

"In the Chinese culture, autism is like a taboo - nobody even wants to mention it. It's like a disease," she said.

"Even by saying it, it can spread. They feel like it's contagious. I think that's down to the cultural perception."

She said in China it is viewed "very negatively", adding: "People who come to the UK, the Chinese who come here, when their children are diagnosed with autism they feel like that's the end of the world."

Ms Lim said language was the main barrier to overcoming issues, with most of the information available in English.

"They will not go out and ask people for help and to translate things for them because they feel like they are in a very vulnerable situation," she added.


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Experts say children are more likely to be excluded from school if they are left undiagnosed



Fnord
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16 Aug 2018, 8:56 am

I'd say that the Chinese are about 50+ years behind America in this respect. I can still remember a time when people never talked about "Crazy Aunt Harriet", except in whispers among family members. Outsiders who asked where the "Cat Lady" was were told only that she had gone on an extended vacation and was doing fine. It's as if the family had been socially disgraced by the 'curse' that had been laid upon them.

If a family could not afford institutionalized care for an adult member who had developmental, emotional, or mental problems, that member was simply abandoned, and the family would not speak about them at all. Unfortunately, this particular practice is still going on in America.


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kazanscube
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16 Aug 2018, 9:38 am

That's nothing as, I've come across various sites on the internet inluding Youtube as well, have personally come across persons whom actually believe that Autism and it's variants are caused by the Devil and I'm not being sarcastic nor humorous rather straightforward & sincere.Well, if I'm the byproduct of the devil would that make me Damien Thorne from The Omen movies-Image

I honestly don't believe that pile of crap, let these delusional idiots going on believing in crap while I conduct my life without the need of myth & fairy tales to guide me in my rational & logical thinking life


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16 Aug 2018, 3:31 pm

Fnord wrote:
I'd say that the Chinese are about 50+ years behind America in this respect. I can still remember a time when people never talked about "Crazy Aunt Harriet", except in whispers among family members. Outsiders who asked where the "Cat Lady" was were told only that she had gone on an extended vacation and was doing fine. It's as if the family had been socially disgraced by the 'curse' that had been laid upon them.

If a family could not afford institutionalized care for an adult member who had developmental, emotional, or mental problems, that member was simply abandoned, and the family would not speak about them at all. Unfortunately, this particular practice is still going on in America.


If they were “lucky” they were chained in the attic.

The silence was not limited to only mental illness but things like alcholism and physical illness such as and especially cancer. As I have mentioned before word got around and the neighborhood kids would throw rocks and brake the attic windows of “haunted house” where the “crazy person” lived.


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