BackgroundIn this article, we reflected on our experience of the cost of parenting a child with autism, including our ongoing search for educational and therapeutic intervention.ObjectivesWe aimed to give an academic insight into the state of autism education and care in South Africa as seen by us, with special attention to its cost and sustainability.MethodsUsing evocative autoethnography as storied scholarship together with critical autism studies, we reflected on stories of the past 5 years since our son’s diagnosis.ResultsOur experiences agree with international studies that establish autism as the most expensive disability. In addition to the high costs of diagnosis, existing intervention and support approaches are unaffordable for the majority of South Africans. We recommend that teachers should be trained to participate in early screening and diagnosis, as well as co-therapists, to strengthen the implementation of inclusive education.ConclusionThe kind of autism intervention currently offered in South Africa is financially and socially unsustainable. Instead of positioning autism as an individual or family dilemma, it should be addressed as an educational and societal issue. Future research should explore cost-effective options for a developing country context, while promoting best practice within inclusive settings.

This article reports on the findings of a study consisting of two phases. Both phases aimed at investigating how professional development, physical resources and instructional support influenced teachers’ responses to curriculum change. Despite more than 90% of Grade R teachers being under-qualified, they have had to implement two radically different curricula over the past decade. The initial study (‘Phase 1’), conducted in 2007–2010, investigated teachers’ responses to the National Curriculum Statement. The 2015 follow-up study (‘Phase 2’) focused on the same teachers, but the focus fell on the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements. The latter occurred in a drastically different context because of the improved monitoring and support systems. A qualitative case study design was employed within an interpretive paradigm. The findings of Phase 1 suggested that the teachers ignored, resisted, adopted and adapted curriculum change. Their highly individualised responses could be attributed to their professional isolation. In contrast, the findings of Phase 2 reveal policy fidelity because of their enhanced capacity to adopt curriculum change. Notably, curriculum implementation is presently occurring within a community of practice. This has the potential to be a catalyst for effecting curriculum change.

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Background: There is an emerging body of knowledge on the lived experiences of parenting a child with autism from a maternal perspective. Mothers’ reactions to their children’s autism diagnoses have been identified as a key factor influencing their children’s long-term outcomes.Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to explore how South African mothers experience their children’s autism diagnoses.Method: Telephonic interviews were conducted with 12 mothers from KwaZulu-Natal to understand their experiences prior, during and following their children’s autism diagnoses. The data were analysed thematically according to the values of ubuntu, social support, culture, tradition, interpersonal relationships, interconnectedness and continuity and compared to the existing scholarship, employing an Afrocentric theoretical lens.Results: The participants held strong cultural and religious beliefs which influenced the entire diagnosis process. Some, who waited a long time, turned to traditional healers or religious leaders. While some reported feeling relieved after the diagnosis, in the sense of at least having a name for their child’s condition, they also reported feeling overwhelmed by the realisation that there is no cure for autism. Over time, mothers’ feelings of guilt and anxiety declined, and they became increasingly resilient and empowered as their understanding of the meaning of their children’s autism diagnosis deepened, but many continued to pray for a miracle.Conclusion: Future research should focus on how to enhance support for mothers and their children during each of the three phases of autism diagnosis: prior, during and following their children’s autism diagnoses.Contribution: The study highlighted the crucial role of community-based religious and cultural organisations in providing appropriate support to mothers and their children diagnosed with autism, aligned to the values of ubuntu, social support, culture, tradition, interpersonal relationships, interconnectedness and continuity.