'They just seem to live their lives in their own little world': lay perceptions of autism

'They just seem to live their lives in their own little world': lay perceptions of autism

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders is believed to be higher than that of other conditions, such as Down syndrome or diabetes, yet few studies have explored the ideas lay people have about autism. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore how 10 lay people with no knowledge or experien...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disability & society Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 331 - 344
Main Authors: Huws, J.C., Jones, R.S.P.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 01-05-2010
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Ability
Autism
Autistic children
Beliefs
Child Development
Children
Cognitive Ability
Conceptualization
Daily Living Skills
Dependency
Diabetes
Discourse Analysis
Discourses
Down Syndrome
Downs Syndrome
Etiology
Independent Living
Interpersonal Relationship
Interpretative phenomenological analysis
Interviews
Knowledge
Lay People
lay perceptions
Learning disabilities
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Phenomenology
Social Attitudes
Structured Interviews
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
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Summary:The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders is believed to be higher than that of other conditions, such as Down syndrome or diabetes, yet few studies have explored the ideas lay people have about autism. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore how 10 lay people with no knowledge or experience of autism conceptualised autism. Interpretative phenomenological analysis and discourse analysis illuminated four discourses: (1) autism as transgressing normative expectancies; (2) dependency and functional ability discourse; (3) autism and the discourse of mental status; (4) autism and explanatory discourses. Participants demonstrated clear views (although not necessarily correct) about the nature, origins and manifestations of autism. They drew upon their understanding of normal child development to make these assessments and they made judgements about the ability of individuals with autism to attain social independence. It is recommended that interactions between lay people and people with autism may help develop positive conceptualisations of autism.
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ISSN:0968-7599
1360-0508
DOI:10.1080/09687591003701231