“Disability, attitudes and stigma in Greek society”: exploring the perceptions of caregivers and professionals regarding the repetitive behaviour of children with vision impairment and children on the autism spectrum (a comparative study)

This comparative case study explores the perceptions of caregivers and professionals, regarding the repetitive behaviour (RB) in their 4-to-13-year-old children/ students with vision impairment (VI) or with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was conducted in Greece, as no related research has been conducted in the country. Research questions: This research aims to address the types of RBs observed by adults in children with VI or ASD, the explanations the adults employ to interpret these behaviours and the impact RBs have on the child, the caregiver, the professional and society. The underlying reason for this is an attempt to discover any potential differences between two different disabilities in a comparative fashion. The research questions that support the study are: 1. What are the RBs that caregivers and professionals observe in children with VI and children on the ASD? Does the child’s individual characteristics such as their age or ability have an impact on their behaviour? 2. What explanations do caregivers and professionals attribute to these behaviours? and 3. What is the impact of these behaviours a) on the child, b) on the caregiver/ professional, c) on others? Design: This study is based on interpretivist paradigm and followed a qualitative approach. A comparative case study design based on the ecological systems theory (EST) was adopted. 35 caregivers and accredited professionals were recruited (17 for the VI group, out of whom 8 were caregivers and 9 were professionals, and 18 for the ASD group, out of whom 9 were caregivers and 9 were professionals). Following the completion of a pilot study, all participants were interviewed regarding one specific child – their own child/ student – via semi-structured interviews. During the interviews, the researcher used a research diary as a methodological tool and video elicitation as a facilitation tool. A cross-case analysis was conducted and data was analysed according to the method of thematic analysis. Results: A link has been indicated between VI and ASD, which concerns perceptions about the socially constructed manner in which an RB is perceived. ASD is perceived by the participants as a disability with challenging characteristics, such as an RB. The ASD group perceived RB as linked to ableism, social stigmatisation and taboo, in contrast to VI, where the existence of RB seems to be a consequence of sensory loss. Bi-directionality of EST seems to have been lost completely and the macrosys