Korean culture and autism spectrum disorders.

This paper reviews the literature on early child development among Koreans, with a focus on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The literature review of 951 abstracts in English, 101 abstracts in Korean and 27 full articles published from 1994 to 2011 was performed to understand the presentation of and response to ASD in Korean culture. Based on research to date on the identification, description, and treatment of ASD in Korean populations, we argue that at both conceptual and practical levels, early child development and interventions must be understood within cultural context. Culturally informed research on ASD is vital for increasing awareness of the importance of early intervention and the need for educational and psychological services in countries in which autism is stigmatized, misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.