Autism and the Family in Urban India

Shubhangi Vaidya graduated in sociology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She completed her postgraduation and research degrees at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Shubhangi is presently a faculty member in the School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, where she is engaged in developing open and distance learning programmes. Her current research interests include disability studies, women’s studies and labour studies. She has published both scholarly as well as general articles and book chapters and is co-author (with Anu Aneja) of a book Embodying Motherhood: Perspectives from Contemporary India (Sage-Yoda Press, 2016). Alongside her research and teaching roles, she is an advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families; and is actively involved in awareness-building within the community.

Chapter 1. Mapping the Terrain: Examining Discourses on Disability and the Family.- Chapter 2. “There is something wrong with my child”: Encounter with autism.- Chapter 3. Unending Care and an Uncertain Future: The Challenges of Parenting a Child with Autism.- Chapter 4. Shrinking Circles of Support: The Urban Family in Transition.- Chapter 5. Disability, Society and State: New mobilizations and movements.- Chapter 6. Conclusion: Looking Back, Looking Forward.