Exploring South Asian parents’ experiences of barriers and facilitators to navigating and receiving post-diagnostic support for their autistic child(ren).

Autism research concerning South Asian* communities has primarily focused on diagnostic pathways and education, with limited attention to post-diagnostic parenting experiences. Little is known about how South Asian parents in the United Kingdom (UK) interpret their child’s diagnosis, navigate cultural and religious beliefs, and engage with health, education, and community systems and support over time. This gap is particularly important given that meaning-making, coping, and help-seeking are shaped by cultural values, stigma, gender roles and intergenerational expectations. South Asian populations remain under-researched and under-represented within autism studies, despite evidence that they face systemic barriers in navigating diagnostic and support systems for neurodevelopmental conditions. These barriers intersect with cultural stigma, limited culturally responsive services, and a lack of trust in institutions, all of which shape parents’ help-seeking behaviours and post-diagnostic experiences. UK research in this area remains limited, with many studies outdated or unpublished, and often treating South Asian families as a homogeneous group. This overlooks important diversity in culture, language, faith, migration history, and differing understandings of neurodiversity and caregiving. As a result, existing research rarely examines how cultural beliefs, community stigma, and alternative conceptualisations of neurodiversity influence parents’ willingness to seek help, disclose concerns, or engage with services following diagnosis. While international research (e.g., American, Australian, South Asian) offers valuable insights, its findings cannot be directly applied to the UK due to differences in healthcare, education, and socio-political systems. Moreover, much of the current literature remains grounded in Western diagnostic and parenting frameworks, with limited use of decolonial or intersectional approaches that centre cultural contexts and the voices of marginalised communities. This study aims to fill the gap in current research by exploring how South Asian parents raising autistic children in the UK interpret and make sense of their child’s diagnosis, navigate both healthcare, education and community services and support, but also the coping strategies, resources and strengths they draw upon during these experiences. By amplifying parents’ voices, the study aims to shape culturally responsive, equitable, and decolonised policy, training, and services, improving autism pathways and post-diagnosis support for South Asian families. * For the purposes of this study, South Asian is defined as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Bhutanese, Maldivian and Afghani