This week I focused on how socioenvironmental factors such as resource deprivation increase psychosocial strain on Latino parents of children with ASD. Stigmatization of mental illness or developmental disabilities creates psychosocial strain on Latino parents, preventing conversations and education surrounding ASD in Latino communities. Embarrassment derived from the stigma of developmental disorders may also prevent parents of children with ASD from acknowledging their concerns or need for help.
Transitioning into the role of a parent of a child with ASD conflicts with traditional gender roles in Latino families. Interviews with Latino parents of children with ASD indicate Latino fathers may struggle to reconcile their child’s diagnosis with their expected performance of paternal machismo. Latina mothers may internalize an ASD diagnosis through feelings of guilt, self-blame, and disbelief. Both US and foreign-born Non-Latina mothers are more likely to accept their child’s ASD diagnosis compared to US and foreign-born Latina mothers (Gordillo et al., 2019). Feedback of shame, disbelief, and stigma from community members to parents can intensify skepticism of an ASD diagnosis. Subsequently, patterns of late ASD diagnosis and treatment appear within Latino communities (Mandell et al., 2002). A multisite CDC study revealed a higher prevalence rate of ASD in White children (15.8 per 1,000) compared to African Americans (12.3 per 1,000) or Latinos (10.8 per 1,000) (Baio, 2014). Despite comprising 21% of students in U.S. public schools, Latino children represent only 12.4% of children receiving public school ASD services (National Center for Education in Statistics, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, 2008). Similarly, several years of CDC surveillance data reflect lower rates of ASD within Latino groups, suggesting Latino children may be specifically vulnerable to underdiagnosis (Pederson et al., 2012).
Currently, intervention within an early critical period of development is associated with a decrease in ASD symptom severity. Early diagnosis of ASD and intervention can increase speech integration, interactive and communicative skills, and the likelihood of improved long-term outcomes (Corsello, 2005). ASD research presents evidence that a critical period may maximize intervention benefits for language development at younger ages (Vyshedskiy et al., 2020). Children younger than 4 or 5 who enter therapeutic programs show an improved developmental trajectory compared to children above the age of 5 (Harris and Handleman, 2000; Sheinkopf and Siegel, 1998, Luiselli et al., 2000). Furthermore, non-verbal children diagnosed with ASD who begin intervention in early preschool are far more likely to become verbal compared to children older than 5 who enter intervention programs (Koegel, 2000). This indicates potential biophysiological consequences of delayed diagnosis and treatment on the neurological development of Latino children with ASD.
ASD healthcare facilities must engage with Latino communities to assist in cross-cultural conversation and education among healthcare providers. Despite the increased risk of late ASD diagnosis for Latino patients, strategies utilizing the strength of Latino cultural values provide potential solutions to alleviate healthcare disparities. This research illustrates the impact of cultural and family structures on the likelihood a child receives ASD diagnosis and treatment. Working as a therapist allowed me to understand how family values influence ASD care. I’m excited to use the above findings and my personal experience to create an artistic representation of the above findings.
References
Baio, J. (2014). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years-autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2010.
Corsello, C. M. (2005). Early intervention in autism. Infants & young children, 18(2), 74-85.
Harris, S. L., & Handleman, J. S. (2000). Age and IQ at intake as predictors of placement for young children with autism: A four-to six-year follow-up. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 30(2), 137-142.
Koegel, L. K. (2000). Interventions to facilitate communication in autism. Journal of Autism and developmental Disorders, 30(5), 383-391.
Mandell, D. S., Listerud, J., Levy, S. E., & Pinto-Martin, J. A. (2002). Race differences in the age at diagnosis among Medicaid-eligible children with autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(12), 1447-1453.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Common core of data. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/bat/
Pedersen, A., Pettygrove, S., Meaney, F. J., Mancilla, K., Gotschall, K., Kessler, D. B., … & Cunniff, C. (2012). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children. Pediatrics, 129(3), e629-e635.
Sheinkopf, S. J., & Siegel, B. (1998). Home based behavioral treatment of young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 28(1), 15– 23.
U.S. Department of Education. (2008). Part B: Child count, Report year 2008-2009 [Data file]. Retrieved from https:// www.ideadata.org/DACAnalyticTool
Vyshedskiy, A. (2021, January). Imagination in Autism: A Chance to Improve Early Language Therapy. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 63). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.