Integrating Family Ritual and Sociocultural Theories as a Framework for Understanding Mealtimes of Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum
Date
2018-01-01
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Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
Based on a critical review of research on family meals and autism, this article explores ritual and
sociocultural perspectives on shared family meals of families with children on the autism
spectrum. Family ritual theory is a lens for analytically understanding phenomena observed in
family life, how individuals are connected, and how symbolic meaning is created through
patterned behavior. Sociocultural theory explains the presence of culture in thinking, the nature
of learning, and the relation between development and instruction. An integration of these
theories provides a framework for understanding what mealtime rituals mean and how they are
created. Specifically, I address the limitations that impairments associated with autism may
impose on a family’s ability to have shared family meals by situating sociocultural theory as a
method for including children with autism in family rituals when they are not naturally occurring
events.
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Citation
Curtiss, Sarah L. (2018). Integrating family ritual and sociocultural theories as a framework for understanding mealtimes of families with children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 10 (4) , 749-764. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12298