Evaluating Autism's Impact on the Somali Community in the UK

This report delves into the impact of autism on the Somali community residing in the UK. It begins by introducing the increasing prevalence of autism among Somali children and highlights the associated challenges in communication, learning, and social integration. The report outlines the structure, including the introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis and findings, and conclusion and recommendations. The literature review explores the causes of autism, the cultural context of the Somali community, and the perceptions of mental illness. The methodology chapter describes the research approach, design, strategy, and data collection techniques, including the use of secondary data analysis. The findings reveal key themes, including perceptions of autism, the challenges faced by autistic children and their families, and the role of the government. The report concludes with recommendations for increasing awareness, providing support, and addressing the unique needs of autistic children within the Somali community, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive interventions and further research.

Running head: THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE
UK
The Impact of Autism on the Somali Community in the UK
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
Acknowledgement
Thank you to all of those who have helped listened and encouraged me throughout this study. I
am indebted to my supervisor ……………………. whose guidance, advice and patience have
been immeasurable. My sincere thanks to all members of the…………… [Mention your
university/college name], both staff and students, whose continuous support have made this
thesis possible.
I would like to thank all of the participants in the study: students, teachers, and Local Education
Authorities, for the time and help given throughout. Without their participation, this research
would not have been possible. In this context, I am also thankful to them, whose research work
helped me to execute this paper well.
Finally, I thank my family, without whom this thesis would not have been started or completed!
Your encouragement and support have never faltered; thank you.

2THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
Abstract
Literature review is aimed towards evaluating the impact of autism on the Somali
community in the UK. The review evaluates the increasing number of autistic children among
the Somali community. Secondary research method and data collection technique has been used
for this research. The research found that the ignorance among the people is the main reason of
increasing number of autistic children in the Somali community in the UK. The research aim
towards evaluating the perceptions of autism along with evaluating the impact of autism on the
parents and the children. Additionally, research also emphasizes on providing suitable
recommendations for increasing awareness for among the people. According to the secondary
analysis, it has been found that both the autistic children and the parents encounter issues in daily
life. Moreover, the children and the parents lack sufficient support and trust dealing with autism.
Lack of adequate knowledge among the Somali community has minimized the exposure of the
research on the particular topic.

3THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................9
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................9
1.1 Structure of the Professional Project...................................................................................10
1.2 Background of the Research................................................................................................11
1.3 Problem Statement...............................................................................................................12
1.4 Research Rationale..............................................................................................................12
1.5 Aim of the Review...............................................................................................................13
1.6 Research Objectives.............................................................................................................13
1.7 Summary..............................................................................................................................14
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................15
2.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................15
2.1 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................15
2.2 Autism..................................................................................................................................16
2.3 Causes of autism..................................................................................................................16
2.4 Somali community...............................................................................................................17
2.5 Autism in Somali community..............................................................................................18
2.6 Factors causing high rate of autism in Somali community..................................................19
2.7 Views of Somali community on mental illness...................................................................19

4THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
2.8 Treatment programs for Autistic children...........................................................................21
2.9 Impact of Autism on the children........................................................................................22
2.10 General risk factors for Autism.........................................................................................23
2.11 Impact of Autism on the family.........................................................................................25
2.14 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................26
Chapter 3: Methodology................................................................................................................28
3.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................28
3.1 Research Outline..................................................................................................................28
3.3 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................29
3.3.1 Justifying the selection of interpretivism philosophy.......................................................30
3.4 Research Approach..............................................................................................................30
3.4.1 Justifying the selection of deductive approach.................................................................31
3.5 Research Design..................................................................................................................31
3.5.1 Justifying the selection of descriptive design...................................................................32
3.6 Research Strategy................................................................................................................33
3.6.1 Justifying the selection of case study research strategy....................................................33
3.7 Data collection technique....................................................................................................34
3.7.1 Justifying the selection of secondary data collection technique.......................................34
3.8 Data Analysis Technique.....................................................................................................35
3.8.1 Justifying the selection of thematic analysis....................................................................36

5THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
3.9 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................36
3.10 Accessibility Issues............................................................................................................36
3.11 Inclusion and exclusion criteria.........................................................................................37
3.12 Keywords and database used.............................................................................................38
3.13 Research Limitations.........................................................................................................38
3.14 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................38
Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings..................................................................................................40
4.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................40
4.1 Presentation of the Emergent Themes.................................................................................40
Theme 1: Perceptions of Autism in the Somali community......................................................40
Theme 2: Impact of Autism on the children of the Somali community....................................41
Theme 3: Challenges faced by the autistic children..................................................................43
Theme 4: Impact of Autism on parents and family...................................................................45
Theme 5: Challenges faced by the parents of the autistic children...........................................47
Theme 6: Lack of significant research for enhancing the lives of the autistic children............48
Theme 7: Role of the government in helping the autistic children of the Somali community in
the UK........................................................................................................................................49
4.2 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................49
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations..............................................................................51
5.0 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................51

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5.1 Linking with Objectives......................................................................................................52
5.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................54
5.3 Future Scope of the research...........................................................................................55
References......................................................................................................................................56

7THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
List of Figures
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework..................................................................................................15
Figure 2: ASD prevalence.............................................................................................................17
Figure 3: Research Onion..............................................................................................................28
Figure 4: Rate of children suffering from learning difficulty due to Autism................................42
Figure 5: Rate of unemployment among autistic individuals........................................................43

8THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
List of Table
Table 1: Research Outline.............................................................................................................28

9THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Introduction
This chapter briefly introduces the rate of autism among the Somali children living in the
UK. Based on the aim of the research, the chapter also sheds light on the formulated research
questions and objectives.
Autism is one of the most common diseases that is diagnosed in children. Due to the disease,
the children suffer challenges in terms of communication, learning and leading a normal life.
Alongside, the family and the parents of the autistic children are also affected socially,
psychologically and financially (Taylor, Jick and MacLaughlin, 2013). In the UK, the number of
autistic children within the Somali community has been increasing over the years (Barrett et al.
2012). Due to lack of adequate knowledge, the parents are unable to understand the symptoms of
having an autistic child thereby, delaying the diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, the fear of
having an autistic child also restricts the parents to treat their child thereby, increasing the stigma
and fear (Barrett et al. 2012). Therefore, lack of adequate research and studies has led to
ignorance and awareness among the people that eventually hampers their well-being and living
style.
This study aim towards identifying the knowledge gap in order to analyze the impact of
autism on the Somali community in the UK. As a result, the research includes comparative and
substantive findings on the challenges encountered by the families of Somali origin with autistic
children in the UK as well as establishing the barrier to support service. This study explores the
impact of autism on the Somali community living in the UK.

10THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
1.1 Structure of the Professional Project
The proposed structure of the professional project includes five chapter namely
introduction, literature review, research methodology, data analysis, discussions and conclusion
and recommendation.
Chapter 1: This chapter includes the detailed background information about the research topic
thereby, introducing it to the readers. Additionally, the chapter also includes the issues based on
which the research will be conducted and the significance of conducting the research. Based on
the problem and the significance of the research, the research aim, objectives and questions are
formulated.
Chapter 2: This background literature chapter of the research emphasizes on dealing with
previously existing studies thereby, helping the readers to develop better and in-depth knowledge
and understanding of the research topic. The chapter also identifies the independent and
dependent variables and includes theories and models related to the variables.
Chapter 3: This chapter highlights the research methods used by the researcher while collecting
and analyzing data for the research. This chapter also contains the justifications of selecting the
particular research methods for data collection and analysis.
Chapter 4: This chapter highlights the analysis of the data collected by using various methods
and methodological tools. Additionally, the data collected are presented through graphical
representations or analyzed based on secondary data collection.
Chapter 5: This chapter contains the conclusion deduced from the analyzed data along with
suggesting suitable recommendations based on the conclusions.

11THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AMONG THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK
1.2 Background of the Research
The UK houses the largest number of the Somali community in the Europe and is a critical
group that is considered for the health and well-being of the community (Buescher et al. 2014). It
is evident from the various secondary resources that the rate of autism among the Somali
community is increased thereby, imposing a major concern (Colvert et al. 2015). The challenges
characterizing the autistic children such as communication problem, speech problem, abnormal
behavior and health issues gives rise to stigma within the community. Therefore, it is required to
have a general overview along with investigating the impact of autism on the children of the
Somali community. Additionally, the community encounters particular challenges such as social
isolation, abnormal behavior and ineffective communication in terms of social, cultural and
psychological aspect (Karst and Van Hecke, 2012). However, as argued by Nealy et al. (2012),
understanding the cultural perspectives in terms of autism helps in raising and spreading
awareness among the parents. This allows the parents and the families to receive support and
encouragement for seeking help thereby, reducing the stigma.
Awareness, support, and interventions are in terms of autism and services are necessary
among all the communities. As commented by Tipton and Blacher (2014), suitable support and
awareness are required due to increasing numbers of autism children among the Somali
community, as the children adequate support to access. However, the increasing numbers of
autistic children are not influencing the support mechanism positively. Therefore, it is necessary
to have a holistic approach to the impact of autism on the Somali community in the UK. The UK
government has passed the Autism Act, 2009 in order to counter attack the negative implications
such as social exclusion, avoid discrimination and provide regular services towards the autistic