Transcript

PRITHVI

For diagnosing autism, we are looking at behaviours that are exhibited or not exhibited by individuals on the autistic spectrum. And the value that different cultural groups put on the same behaviour could be varied. So for example, in some of my research I was coming across some cultural groups where they don't necessarily teach children to play in an imaginative way. So the play is a very functional kind of based kind of a play.

Now if a child like that comes to a professional in the west, who might be seeing from the prism of autism, that would immediately ring alarm bells. Because you start thinking this child is not showing imaginative play skills, one of the core difficulties with autism. And therefore, this person could be on the autistic spectrum.

Or there might be issues around things like the use of language, for example. Again, some African cultures, it's inappropriate to use personal pronouns. So those cultures, they actually encourage children to use their own name. So rather than me saying I think, it might be saying Prithvi thinks he would like a drink.

Now again, that would be considered as one of the classic features of autism, which again, a professional could think that might be the reason why this child is doing. So how different cultures communicate and interact are different, which can raise alarm bells from professionals but also may not raise any alarm bells for parents. Because coming from an Indian background, for example, there's this general idea in Indian families that boys develop speech later. So if a child is not developing speech and happens to be a male, probably parents from India wouldn't be concerned, even if they are three or four-- as I know from some personal cases-- whereas there might be a genuine speech issue or even autism, for example. But they are not seeking support.