The Autistic Immigrant in the UK: an exploration of identities in the context of diagnosis

英国是一个多元文化的国家，其经济稳定吸引着来自全球各地的移民。多元文化主义作为一种政治风气，以及在少数民族中促进平等权利的引入，导致了本世纪的大量移民，仅2020年一年，估计就有26.8万人移民到英国。过去十年，英国成人自闭症诊断人数也大幅增加，女性和有认知能力的人得到诊断的人数也在增加。没有研究表明，在那些接受诊断或检查其诊断经历的成年人中，移民可能会因搬迁到文化不同的地方和社会偏见而变得复杂。种族在理论上被认为是一种社会认同，但在医疗体系中经常受到歧视。自闭症也被理论化为一种身份。本项目将确定这两个属性之间的交集是否大于预测结果中各部分的总和，从而使用方法论创新来衡量、研究和监控交叉性理论。移民的影响和少数民族自闭症之间是否存在互动？2.社会文化规范、残疾和种族偏见如何影响诊断经验？3.关注跨文化适应对我们在移民背景下理解自闭症有何启示？这些研究问题需要人类学和社会学的联合研究。使用混合方法，这项研究将检查官方诊断的具有少数民族身份的自闭症成年人的观点和经历，定性工作将跟踪那些移民到英国的人。这种方法在交叉性研究中既新颖又雄心勃勃。研究问题需要人类学和社会学的联合方法。使用混合方法，这项研究将检查官方诊断的具有少数民族身份的自闭症成年人的观点和经历，定性工作将跟踪那些移民到英国的人。这种方法在交叉性研究中既新颖又雄心勃勃。相关文献中的空白突出了本研究的新颖性和新颖性。有必要围绕移民对自闭症身份的影响以及生物、文化、社会和心理因素的相互作用展开讨论。此外，这项研究的目的是促进诊断过程的进步，确定哪些方面起到了很好的作用，哪些方面需要改进。它还将向卫生保健工作人员提供有关少数群体被诊断的经验的知识。在多元文化社会的背景下，不仅要承认多样性，而且要对其做出回应。这项研究旨在为种族和残疾研究中的知识体系做出贡献，同时开辟一条针对自闭症特定研究的新途径，并推动交叉性理论和研究方法向前发展。

The UK is a multicultural country whose economic stability attracts immigrants from across the globe. Adoption of multiculturalism as a political ethos and the introduction of equal rights promotion among ethnic minority groups has led to the large numbers of immigration this century with an estimated 268,000 people immigrating to the UK in 2020 alone.The last decade has also seen a significant increase in adult autism diagnosis in the UK with the numbers of females and cognitively able people who receive a diagnosis increasing. There are no studies that identify immigrants among those adults who receive a diagnosis or examine their experiences of diagnosis which may be complicated by relocation to a culturally different place and by social biases. Ethnicity, theorised as a social identity, is routinely discriminated against in the healthcare system. Autism is theorised as an identity too. This project will establish whether the intersection between these two attributes are greater than the sum of the parts in predicting outcomes, thus using methodological innovation to measure, study and monitor theory of intersectionality.Research Questions1. Is there an interaction between the impact of immigration and of being autistic for ethnic minorities?2. How is a diagnostic experience influenced by sociocultural norms, disability and racial bias?3. What insights does a focus on cross-cultural adaptation bring to our understanding of autism in the context of immigration?The research questions necessitate a joint anthropological and sociological approach. Using a mixed method approach the study will examine the views and experiences of officially diagnosed autistic adults who have ethnic minority status, and the qualitative work will follow those immigrated to the UK. Such an approach is both novel and ambitious in the study of intersectionality.The research questions necessitate a joint anthropological and sociological approach. Using a mixed method approach the study will examine the views and experiences of officially diagnosed autistic adults who have ethnic minority status, and the qualitative work will follow those immigrated to the UK. Such an approach is both novel and ambitious in the study of intersectionality.The gap in relevant literature highlights the novel and emergent aspects of this proposed research. It is necessary to generate discussion around the effects of immigration on autistic identity as well as the interplay of biological, cultural, social and psychological factors.Moreover, the research aims to contribute to advances in the diagnostic process, identifying the aspects that are working well and those where improvement is needed. It will also provide health-care staff with knowledge concerning minority groups' experiences of being diagnosed. In the context of a multicultural society there has to be commitment to not only recognise the diversity but also to respond to it.The research intends to contribute to the body of knowledge within ethnic and disability studies whilst opening up a new pathway to autism specific research along with moving intersectionality theory and research methods forwards.