Latino and Non-Latino White Parents’ Experiences Raising their Child with ASD: An Exploratory Study

There is a dearth of research about the experiences of the Latino population in raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This includes a lack of cross-cultural perspectives and perspectives from fathers. Although there are similar experiences in raising a child with ASD among parents, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative report 2017-08, Vol.22 (8), p.2173-2195
Main Authors: Casillas, Nicole, Vigil, Debra C, Wang, Hui-Ting
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to Information
African American Children
Association (Psychology)
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Beliefs
Body Weight
Child Development
Children
Collaboration
Cultural differences
Cultural Influences
Delayed Speech
Demographic aspects
Developmental Delays
Diagnostic Teaching
Disease control
Early Intervention
Eligibility
Extended family
Family Involvement
Family research
Family support
Health aspects
Health services
Hispanic Americans
Interviews
Learning Problems
Mental Health
Minority Group Children
Parent and child
Parents & parenting
Pervasive developmental disorders
Psychological aspects
Qualitative research
Racial Differences
Religious beliefs
Research design
Self Efficacy
Social aspects
Whites
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Summary:There is a dearth of research about the experiences of the Latino population in raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This includes a lack of cross-cultural perspectives and perspectives from fathers. Although there are similar experiences in raising a child with ASD among parents, we hypothesize that there will be different experiences due to culture. The current study is an exploratory qualitative research design, where we sought to understand the experiences of Latino and non-Latino White parents who are raising a child with ASD. Results indicated similarities across all families that include: self-efficacy beliefs, challenges, stress and coping, and goals and expectations. Different themes emerged in the Latino families that were not evident in non-Latino White families. Specifically, Latino families emphasized religion and faith, involvement and love, extended family support, Latino pride, and importance of collaboration. Implications are discussed for further cross-cultural family studies, the need to inform healthcare professionals on the early signs of ASD especially with regard to culture, and the importance of collaboration among parents and professionals.
ISSN:1052-0147
2160-3715
DOI:10.46743/2160-3715/2017.3261