How Can We Enable Hmong Parents to Take Steps Towards Autism Identification?: Hmong Parents’ Beliefs about Autism and Their Experiences in the Identification Process

Abstract

An early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important for early access to supports and intervention services. Evidence suggests that age of identification may be particularly late for children from underserved, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) communities. Although parents play an important role in their child’s receipt of an ASD identification, CLD parents may experience more challenges in the identification process, which likely better supports the needs of White, middle class, English-speaking families. Very little ASD research has focused on the Hmong community, a CLD group that is particularly vulnerable to inequities in ASD identification. Thus, I conducted a three-study dissertation that examines Hmong parents’ beliefs about ASD and their experiences in the identification process to address the overarching question: how can we enable Hmong parents to take steps towards an ASD identification? To first gain a more thorough understanding of parents’ experiences in the ASD identification process, Study 1 was a systematic review of barriers and facilitators to ASD identification reported by parents in the U.S. across qualitative and descriptive studies. In Study 2, I specifically examined Hmong parents’ (N = 35) beliefs related to ASD (i.e., their beliefs about early identification, intervention and the causes of ASD) and their experiences in the identification process (i.e., the barriers and facilitators they encountered) using a survey tool I developed called the Parent Perceptions of Autism Spectrum Disorder survey (PP-ASD). Using the same participants and the PP-ASD, Study 3 examined the sources Hmong parents use to obtain information on ASD, as well as the extent to which they encounter and utilize ASD information presented in Hmong text and audio. These studies point to the importance of ensuring that Hmong parents have access to information on ASD and that healthcare and educational professionals be supported to serve as partners.