Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Special Education (ICSE 2019)

Perceptions towards disabilities among primary-school teachers in the Lao’s People Democratic Republic: Insights into a cultural view of ASD

Authors
Hui Min Low, Lay Wah Lee, Aznan Che Ahmad, Ann Sien Sut Lee, Wong Tze Peng, Somchay Makesavanh, Bountheing Vongsouangtham, Vikate Phannalath, Somphet San
Corresponding Author
Hui Min Low
Available Online December 2019.
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, disability perception, cultural view, teachers, Lao PDR
Abstract

According to the social model of disability, perceptions towards disabilities are socially and culturally constructed. In a preliminary study, we explored the perceptions towards disabilities among 92 primary-school teachers in Lao People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) in order to gain insights into the cultural view of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Lao PDR. The data were collected via a paper-and-pen survey. The survey consisted of three vignettes that illustrate the characteristics of three children with different developmental disabilities. Each vignette was followed by open-ended questions about the teachers’ perceptions towards these three developmental disabilities. The findings revealed cultural-specific elements in the teachers’ understanding of ASD. Many teachers perceived ASD characteristics as variants of typical behaviors in young children, which they rationalized as the results of upbringing issues. Altogether, the findings offer a unique perspective to look at the formation of ASD-related stigma in Lao PDR.

Copyright
© 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Special Education (ICSE 2019)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
December 2019
ISBN
978-94-6252-876-5
ISSN
2352-5398
Copyright
© 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Hui Min Low
AU  - Lay Wah Lee
AU  - Aznan Che Ahmad
AU  - Ann Sien Sut Lee
AU  - Wong Tze Peng
AU  - Somchay Makesavanh
AU  - Bountheing Vongsouangtham
AU  - Vikate Phannalath
AU  - Somphet San
PY  - 2019/12
DA  - 2019/12
TI  - Perceptions towards disabilities among primary-school teachers in the Lao’s People Democratic Republic: Insights into a cultural view of ASD
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Special Education (ICSE 2019)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 71
EP  - 74
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125928880
ID  - Low2019/12
ER  -