Comparing Indicators of Advocacy Ability and Service Access Between Latino and White Families of Transition-Aged Youth With Autism.

The data are cross-sectional, so the study cannot show that advocacy skills caused service access. Families were recruited from advocacy programs and were already interested in adult disability services, so the results may not apply to families not seeking advocacy support. All participants were from one Midwestern state, and service systems differ across states. The two groups differed in education and income, which may account for some observed differences. The age ranges differed between programs, and the analyses only controlled for age, so age may still influence the comparisons. Half of Program A participants completed data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have affected service access.

The supplied article text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types note NIH extramural research support.

Do not read the advocacy skill finding as proof that teaching advocacy will increase services. These were baseline comparisons before any intervention, and the association between perceived advocacy skills and more services was significant only for white families.