AUTISM AND THE FAMILY IN URBAN INDIA: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Book Details

• Author: Shubhangi Vaidya

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2022

• ISBN: 9788132239857

• Pages: 192

• Cover: Hardback

About the Book

This thought-provoking book delves into the lived experiences of parenting and caregiving for children with autism in the complex landscape of contemporary urban India. Rooted in rich ethnographic research, it explores how families grapple with the early signs of disability, the emotional journey toward diagnosis, and the ongoing challenges of navigating educational, medical, and support systems. Through this lens, it offers a sensitive and nuanced account of the social, emotional, and logistical demands that caregiving imposes.

The narrative captures the gendered aspects of caregiving, spotlighting the differing emotional and practical responses of mothers, fathers, siblings, and extended family members. It brings forth deeply personal stories while asking critical questions—most notably: What happens to the child after the parents are gone? This pressing concern leads into a broader analysis of the role of the Indian state, legal structures, and civil society in addressing disability.

A special case study of Action for Autism, a Delhi-based parent-led NGO, adds practical insights to the theoretical framework. Importantly, the book is enriched by the author's personal journey as a parent to a child with autism, infusing the work with authenticity, empathy, and a deeply informed perspective.

This is an essential contribution to the fields of family sociology, disability studies, and urban social life in India. It also serves as an invaluable guide for policymakers, educators, social workers, and anyone seeking to understand autism within the Indian socio-cultural context.

Contents

1. Mapping the Terrain: Examining Discourses on Disability and the Family

2. “There Is Something Wrong with My Child”: Encounter with Autism

3. Unending Care and an Uncertain Future: The Challenges of Parenting a Child with Autism

4. Shrinking Circles of Support: The Urban Family in Transition

5. Disability, Society and State: New Mobilizations and Movements

6. Conclusion: Looking Back, Looking Forward

About the Author

Shubhangi Vaidya is a sociologist with degrees from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She currently teaches at the School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies, IGNOU. Her research spans disability studies, women’s studies, and labor studies. Co-author of Embodying Motherhood, she is also an active disability rights advocate and community educator, bringing both academic depth and lived experience to her work.