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An Exploratory Study of Attitudes toward Autism Amongst Church-Going Christians in the South East of England, United Kingdom

Waldock, Krysia Emily, Forrester-Jones, Rachel (2020) An Exploratory Study of Attitudes toward Autism Amongst Church-Going Christians in the South East of England, United Kingdom. Journal of Disability & Religion, 24 (4). pp. 349-370. ISSN 2331-2521. (doi:10.1080/23312521.2020.1776667) (KAR id:82656)

Abstract

Access to church communities can be difficult for autistic people. Whilst specific autism guidelines are available for churches to follow, their dissemination among church communities, as well as churchgoers’ attitudes towards autism is unknown. Semi-structured interviews were used with twenty-one adult church-goers from four Protestant churches in England, UK. Using a grounded theory approach to analyze the data, three themes were identified: “different understandings of autism”, “degrees of ableism” and “idiosyncratic practice.” We found positive and pejorative attitudes; this mix of perspectives reflecting the idiosyncratic practice among churches. Recommendations for further research and church practice are provided.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/23312521.2020.1776667
Uncontrolled keywords: autism, inclusion, social inclusion, spirituality
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Tizard
Depositing User: Krysia Waldock
Date Deposited: 28 Aug 2020 09:00 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 06:38 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/82656 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Waldock, Krysia Emily.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9631-3930
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Forrester-Jones, Rachel.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0379-8877
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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