ASD Diagnosis and Treatment Experiences Among Mexican Heritage Families.

To understand the ASD diagnosis and treatment pathways for US families, N = 38 Mexican-heritage mothers were interviewed about how and when they obtained an ASD diagnosis for their children. Most children (84%) were diagnosed between two and three years old. One-third of mothers reported receiving four to seven referrals before diagnosis. Mothers identified multiple diagnosis circumstances including two diagnoses and services offered before diagnosis. A multiple case study design documented the diagnosis and treatment experiences of four representative participants. As compared to previous studies that utilized a deficit lens to rationalize barriers to diagnosis and treatment (e.g., parents not knowledgeable about ASD), these findings revealed a complex understanding of how structural barriers (e.g., immigration status), initial diagnosis rejection among caregivers, and abrupt service cancellation complicated the diagnosis and treatment process. Implications identified suggestions to optimize and streamline ASD diagnosis and treatment pathways for Mexican heritage families.

Purposeful parenting by Mexican-heritage mothers: Advancing school readiness through social-emotional competence.

OBJECTIVES: We investigate how Mexican-heritage mothers' socialization beliefs and strategies contribute to their preschool children's school readiness. While Latinx children typically start kindergarten with strong social competencies, they also start with less strong early literacy and math skills, in comparison with their non-Latinx peers. We propose that-paralleling Lareau's (2003) theory of "concerted cultivation," whereby White, middle-class parents purportedly display great intentionality in nurturing the academic and extracurricular skills of their children-Mexican-heritage mothers purposefully cultivate their children's social-emotional skills. METHODS: Using structured interviews and home observations over a 14-month period, we follow 23 Mexican-heritage mothers and their 24 preschool children. RESULTS: Drawing on ecocultural theory, Mexican-heritage mothers engage their preschool children in a concerted fashion to develop their social-emotional competence. Specifically, they: (a) articulate the role of children's social-emotional skills vis-à-vis academic skills related to school readiness; (b) delineate the character of their children's social-emotional skills; and (c) promote social-emotional skills through intention-filled parenting practices relevant to their cultural contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding parents' "concerted cultivation" in differing cultural contexts may facilitate teachers' use of practices that better align with families' home practices and more effectively support the learning of Latinx children across academic domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

"My Autism Is My Own": Autistic Identity and Intersectionality in the School Context.

Background: School is an important context for identity development across childhood and adolescence. These formative experiences impact adulthood. Minimal research has examined first-person autistic perspectives of how school experiences shape autistic identity as well as other intersecting identities. In this study, we examined the school messages that autistic individuals received and how individuals engaged with these external messages to formulate their identities. Methods: Ten U.S.-based autistic adolescents and adults ages 15-35 participated in qualitative interviews about their elementary through secondary school experiences, interactions with teachers and peers, and how these shaped their identities. Two interviewees also engaged in three follow-up interviews each for member checking and further data gathering. Using a critical constructivist approach informed by grounded theory, we coded interviews inductively. We ensured the trustworthiness of data through peer debriefing, reflexive journaling, memoing, and member checking. Results: In the school context, autistic students received stigmatizing messages from teachers and peers regarding their autism. These messages varied in relation to students' other identities, including race and gender. Participants felt that, following autism disclosure, teachers viewed them narrowly through an autism lens. Participants actively resisted these negative messages from teachers and peers by reclaiming their autistic identity. They reframed and redefined their autistic identity, embraced their autism-related strengths, and actively made choices about how, when, and to whom to disclose their autism. Decisions around autism disclosure intersected with decisions to emphasize other identities such as race or mental health, especially when these identities were more visible or more acceptable to others. Conclusions: The school context conveyed powerful, stigmatizing messages around autism. In response, autistic students actively reclaimed and shaped their identities to prioritize a positive, empowered sense of self. Findings show a need for educators to model positive perceptions of autism, build an inclusive school community, and advocate for autistic representation in schools to facilitate autism-affirming messages.

What was the purpose of this study?: This study examined how autistic adolescents' and adults' school experiences affected their identities including autism, race, gender, and sexuality. We explored how teachers' and peers' messages impacted autistic students' views of themselves and how participants' experiences with autism differed by race, gender, mental health, and other identities. What did the researchers do?: We interviewed 10 autistic adolescents and adults ages 15­35 in the United States and conducted 3 follow-up interviews with 2 participants. Participants had diverse identities across gender, race, and sexuality. Participants answered questions about their autistic identity, their school experiences, and interactions with teachers and peers. We read and analyzed interviews to look for common themes. What were the results of the study?: Participants reported receiving negative messages about autism from teachers and peers in school. Participants felt that teachers often treated them differently than other students, seeing only their autism and not seeing other aspects of their identity. Autistic students' gender and race seemed to also affect how their teachers and peers treated them. For example, autistic women and people of color often described negative experiences related to their teachers' biases about gender or race. At the same time, autistic participants resisted these negative ideas. They held positive views and saw autism as bringing strengths, such as helping them learn. Participants believed that autistic identity looks different for each person and they were careful in deciding when to tell someone that they were autistic. They emphasized their autistic identity less than other identities that were more visible (e.g., race) or more acceptable to others (e.g., mental health problems). What do these findings add to what was already known?: Participants were vocal in rejecting negative messages from teachers and peers. They formed their own positive opinions about autism. Most past research does not look at autistic people's other identities, such as race and gender, but we did: we found that autistic students with other stigmatized identities, such as girls and people of color, reported especially negative treatment in school. What are potential weaknesses in the study?: With a small sample, we could not find patterns by gender or race. We did not always ask every participant about how their other identities, such as sexuality, race, or gender, were related to their autistic identity. If we had done so, we may have heard more details from some participants. We also did not have any participants with high communication support needs, and so, we could not include their experiences. As the researchers are all nonautistic, we may have interpreted people's responses differently from autistic people's experiences. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: Teacher and peer messages can negatively affect how autistic youth view themselves and their autistic identity. Teachers should be trained to affirm and support autistic students. Findings also showed that autistic students and their peers learn negative ideas about autism early. To address these biases, we need to educate all students about autism.

Child-rearing routines among Mexican-heritage children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined the daily routines and activities of Mexican-heritage mothers and their children with autism spectrum disorder. Experienced sampling methods were used to capture families' current daily routines and activities, how parents valued those activities, and whether the activity was part of the child's autism spectrum disorder intervention. A total of 32 mothers were texted five times per day over five consecutive days for a total of 721 observations. Mothers frequently engaged in Self-Care (e.g. showering), General Caregiving (e.g. cooking), and House Chores (e.g. laundry). Children engaged in activities in which interventions could easily be integrated (e.g. Academics, Self-Care, and Playing with Others). Families spent less than one-third (26.1%) of their activities participating in interventions. Mothers and children jointly spent time in General Caregiving, Playing with Others, and Using Electronics. Practitioners should focus on integrating evidence-based interventions into daily joint routine activities.

Question-response-evaluation sequences in the home interactions of a bilingual child with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has described the prevalence and utility of questions in children's language learning environment. However, there has been little empirical investigation of the interaction sequences that ensue following caregiver questions. Understanding these interactions may be especially important for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who may have difficulty engaging in reciprocal interactions. Question-response-evaluation sequences (QRE) are a particular type of interaction sequence launched by questions that have been examined primarily in classroom contexts. Less research has been devoted to understanding how caregivers and children with ASD leverage this interactional format in the context of home interactions. AIMS: We focus on QRE sequences within interactions between a 5-year-old bilingual child with ASD and his parents. In these sequences, the adult poses known-answer questions, the child responds and the adult evaluates the response. QRE sequences are primarily structured by the questioner (i.e., the parents in our context), and we examine the interactive work done by parents to initiate, maintain and close these sequences. We also examine the child's contributions to these sequences. METHODS & PROCEDURES: We applied conversation analysis (CA) to video recordings of home routines, such as play, book-reading and schoolwork. Videos were fully transcribed using CA conventions, and 55 QRE segments were isolated from the data corpus for further analysis. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Q-word questions (i.e., where, what, why, when, how questions) were the most prevalent question format, and repetition of the child's response was the most prevalent form of evaluation. We found that QRE sequences were embedded within a variety of action trajectories that extend beyond pedagogical functions. These included repairing a prior utterance, extending collaborative play routines and engaging in topically connected labelling rituals. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: QRE sequences appeared to strike a balance in terms of the level of constraint they placed on the child's contributions to interactions, and the affordances they provide for participating in and progressing through interactions. This study can help clinicians understand the types of interactions that can be pursued with QRE sequences in their work with children with ASD. The findings may also aid intervention researchers' efforts to leverage caregivers' existing strengths for adapting their interactional overtures to maximize children's engagement. Finally, this study provides an illustration of caregiver-child interactions in a population that is currently under-represented in the literature.

Amor and Social Stigma: ASD Beliefs Among Immigrant Mexican Parents.

This study examined cultural beliefs about ASD and its causes among Mexican-heritage families. In focus group interviews, we asked 25 immigrant parents of children with ASD to identify words they associated with ASD and its causes. Participants free-listed, ranked, and justified their responses. Mixed methods analyses utilized saliency scores to calculate responses. Deductive interview analyses justified participants' responses. Salient responses for ASD perceptions included specific characteristics about the child (e.g., loving) and perceptions about lack of resources. Salient responses for ASD causes were vaccines, genetics, and a combination of genetics and environment. Inductive analyses revealed distinct beliefs about social stigma, child characteristics, factors supporting development, and parents' emotional stress. Interpretations linked these beliefs to promising adaptations in diagnosis and treatment.

Perceived Social Competence and Loneliness Among Young Children with ASD: Child, Parent and Teacher Reports.

Perceived loneliness and social competence were assessed for 127 children with ASD without comorbid ID, 4-7 years old, through child self-report. Using an abbreviated version of the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (LSDQ; Cassidy and Asher in Child Dev 63:250-365, 1992), the majority of children reported friendships, yet a considerable proportion also reported social difficulties. Factor analysis of the abbreviated LSDQ identified three factors, which were significantly associated with parent- and teacher-reported variables. Regression analyses revealed parent-reported social skills deficits and teacher-reported conflict in the student-teacher relationship to be associated with child-reported loneliness. Implications for practice are discussed.

Support and self-efficacy among Latino and White parents of children with ID.

Research indicates that mothers of children with ID who receive familial support experience less stress than those who receive less support. Less is known about the relation of support to mothers' evaluation of parenting self-efficacy, particularly in Latino families. We examined the relationship of different types of family support to life satisfaction and parenting self-efficacy (PSE), and explored whether income and ethnicity moderated these relationships. Interviews with 84 Latino and 37 White participants revealed that partner emotional support predicted life satisfaction and PSE in both ethnic groups, with a stronger relationship evident for the PSE of Latino mothers. Income was not a significant moderator. These findings provide guidance for more effective family interventions targeted toward Latinos.

Home activities of Mexican American children: structuring early socialization and cognitive engagement.

The question of how home activities advance the early social and cognitive development of Latino children receives growing attention from psychologists and social scientists. Some scholars and practitioners, focused on promoting "school readiness," frame the problem as weak parenting, signaled by insufficient rich language or academic skills. Other theorists, rooted in ecocultural theory, argue that early socialization and cognitive engagement are culturally situated within routine home activities. These activity structures vary and change over time as families acculturate, adapting to local social ecologies. Little is known empirically about the activity structures within Latino homes, including how young children participate. We detail the social architecture and cognitive engagement pertaining to 6 prevalent home activities in which 24 Mexican American 4-year-olds were engaged over 14 months. We then report how children participate in these 6 activities, and their potential relevance to the cognitive skills gap seen at school entry. We found that children's activities reproduced heritage language, symbols, and knowledge less often than suggested in prior literature; children's typical level of cognitive engagement varied greatly among tasks; and the distribution of time spent in activities is associated with the mother's school attainment and home language.