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Funded Grants

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The Lived Experience of Autism in an Indigenous Community: A Qualitative Study

Project Overview

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties with communication, social deficits as well as repetitive behaviors and interests. There is very little research on ASD in First Nations communities in Canada. We do not know how common ASD is or what challenges autistic individuals and their families experience in First Nations communities. The research will take place in the Plains Cree communities of Maskwacis. Maskwacis is an hour’s drive south of Edmonton, Alberta. Maskwacis is made up of four different communities, Samson, Ermineskin, Louis Bull, and Montana. The principal investigator, Grant Bruno, is a registered member of Samson Cree Nation.

This study’s primary goal is to gather viewpoints that will give to a better understanding of ASD in the First Nations communities of Maskwacis. The first part of the project will be to conduct a review of research to get a better understanding of ASD in Indigenous communities. This review will guide the research and provide understanding into the work that has been completed within Canada. From there the next goal is to engage with the community.

The goal is to move from research that is community-based to research that is community-led. Community-led research is bringing the community together and allowing the community to make research decisions. The next goal is to bring together the viewpoints of both ASD service providers as well as families whose child has or is suspected to have ASD. Implications emerging from this study will be impactful and meaningful as this will be the first study, to our knowledge, to work with children, families and services providers in a First Nations community in the context of ASD.

Principal Investigator

Grant Bruno , University of Alberta

Partners and Donors

Shireen & Edna Marcus Foundation

Project Ongoing

The Lived Experience of Autism in an Indigenous Community: A Qualitative Study

  • Program Type

    Capacity building grants

  • Area of research

    Other

  • Competition

    Shireen and Edna Marcus Excellence Award

  • Province

    Alberta

  • Start Date

    2021

  • Total Grant Amount

    $4,500

Contact Us

1200 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1600, Montreal, Quebec
H3B 4G7

The offices of Brain Canada Foundation are located on the traditional, ancestral territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka Peoples, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations.

+1 (514) 989-2989 info@braincanada.ca

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