Cross-cultural insights: Narrative skills and attachment representations in children with autism spectrum disorder using narrative story stems
HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS, cilt.13, sa.1, 2026 (AHCI, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1057/s41599-026-07695-x
- Dergi Adı: HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Index Islamicus, Directory of Open Access Journals, Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This paper reports an exploratory study that examined attachment dynamics between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and teaching staff in Turkish and English school settings, using both family-based and school-based narrative story stems. The study employed adaptations of narrative story stems combined with observations to investigate attachment narratives among children with ASD in different cultural contexts. This study employed a cross-cultural comparative design with a mixed-methods data analysis approach. A total of 93 children (40 from T & uuml;rkiye and 53 from England), who were assessed by their teachers to have similar severity levels of autism, were invited to participate. However, the study included 17 Turkish children and 37 English children, all diagnosed with ASD. Results indicated significant differences in narrative skills between Turkish and English children with ASD, with English children demonstrating better skills in narrative completion and interactive storytelling during narrative story stems. Specifically, Turkish children more often showed secure responses toward teachers, despite lower narrative engagement, while English children displayed a wider range of attachment responses and interactions at school. These findings highlight the importance of cultural context in understanding attachment dynamics among children with ASD and suggest implications for educational practices and interventions tailored to support diverse attachment needs in school settings.