Latino Families Struggle to Get Their Children with Autism Properly Diagnosed

A recent study performed in California finds a delay in autism diagnosis for Latino children, a problem one New York family says is widespread. 

When Jesse and Ana Mojica first noticed troubling behavior from their then two-year-old son Adam, they had trouble getting a proper medical diagnosis for his symptoms. "We went to his doctor at the time, and we expressed our concern that Adam was having trouble with eating, he wasn't smiling, and the doctor responded to us, 'You're a nervous father,'" says Jesse Mojica.

Survey: Autism Harder to Diagnose Among Latinos

Screening for autism spectrum disorders in Spanish-speaking families has posed a challenge for many pediatricians, even those whose practice includes a high proportion of Latinos, a survey indicated.Only 29% of California pediatricians surveyed offered Spanish-language screening for autism and related disorders on the recommended schedule, Katharine E. Zuckerman, MD, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues found.

Latino Families with Autistic Children Facing Major Hurdles

Few people take advantage of
Fiesta Educative meeting
in Spanish held in February.

LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Calif. -- Josefina Nieves is nervous. Her son Nestor is graduating from high school this semester and will soon be leaving for college. Nestor was diagnosed with autism at age two and half.
For Spanish-speakers, accessing information and resources is difficult and making time for therapies can be a challenge, yet Nieves, a single mother, is managing to raise not only one son diagnosed with autism, but two. Her teenage son Daniel also has the disability.

Autism Rate Among Latinos Rises

The gap in the rate of autism between white and Hispanic children is narrowing, according to a study.
The prevalence of autism among white children in the U.S. is 1 in 100, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But among Hispanics it is 1 in 170. In the study, researchers examined nearly 400,000 birth records and data from early-intervention programs taken from 2001 to 2005 in Massachusetts.
According to the data from 2001, white children had the highest rate of autism, 90 percent higher than Hispanic children. By 2005, there was virtually no difference.
Experts say it’s because of the improved ability to diagnose the disorder.

Ethnicity Impacts Sibling Experience

Cultural factors may play a significant role in defining the outcomes of siblings of those with developmental disabilities, a new study finds, affecting whether or not siblings experience anxiety, trouble with school and other challenges.
In a study of 200 siblings ages 8 to 15 — half of whom had a brother or sister with a disability and half of whom had a typically developing sibling — researchers found that Latino siblings of those with developmental disabilities were significantly more likely than other children to internalize anxiety and other psychological issues.
What’s more, Latino children were reluctant to share negative feelings about their sibling’s disability and they exhibited a higher rate of school absences and lower academic grades, according to the study published online in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. These children also had more difficulty with coping skills and in dealing with their parents.