Parental Perceptions of Access to and Utilization of Services for Autistic Children in African American Families: An Exploratory Study.

Researchers interviewed 11 African American mothers about their experiences getting healthcare services for their autistic children. They found six main themes about treatment needs, working with doctors, and how parents become experts and advocates for their children. This research helps us understand the challenges African American families face when trying to get help for their autistic children.

This exploratory qualitative study examined African American mothers' perceptions of accessing and utilizing healthcare services for their autistic children. Eleven mothers participated in semi-structured interviews, revealing six themes related to pediatric treatment needs, provider interactions, and parents' roles as experts and advocates. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding service utilization challenges among African American families, who often face delayed diagnosis and reduced access to early intervention services. The study highlights the unique perspectives of African American parents navigating autism services and identifies opportunities for healthcare providers to better serve this population.

Findings suggest need for healthcare providers to develop culturally responsive approaches when working with African American families. Training on cultural competence and understanding unique barriers faced by this population may improve service engagement and outcomes for autistic children in African American communities.

Small sample size of 11 participants limits generalizability. Qualitative design provides depth but not breadth of understanding. Specific details about findings, participant characteristics, and methodology are not provided in the abstract. Geographic location and other demographic factors are unclear.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs within all racial, ethnic, and demographic pediatric groups. However, Black children with ASD are diagnosed at later stages of their development, and as a result may not receive or may age out of early intervention services, and demonstrate poorer long-term outcomes, across a range of factors. African American parent's perceptions regarding access to and utilization of healthcare services for their autistic children vary. Research examining autism spectrum disorder and parental perceptions of service utilization among African American (AA) families is limited.

This qualitative study aimed to understand the challenges African American parents face when initiating healthcare services for their autistic children. Eleven AA mothers of autistic children participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Six themes related to pediatric treatment needs, interactions with providers, and parents' roles as experts and advocates were generated. Implications for pediatric treatment needs of autistic children and areas of opportunity for providers working with AA autistic children are discussed.