Adapting to cultures: our communities' culture and the culture of autism spectrum disorder

Michelle Garcia Winner

Recently I was asked by a school educational specialist for advice on responding to a parent’s question about her bright high school student who has Asperger’s Syndrome. The question was something like this: ”Why should my son have to change his social behavior given that it represents his own social culture of ASD?” The parent was, in part, also asking why the focus of treatment wasn’t on changing how others responded to her child’s individuality. This is a question that has popped up on ..