Examining unconscious bias embedded in provider language regarding children with autism.
Dominique H Como, Lucía I Floríndez, Christine F Tran and 2 others
PMID 31237743WHAT IT FOUND
Some dental professionals describing children with autism used language that framed care as dangerous, marked patients as 'them', and assumed parents were less careful with dental care.
SLPs should listen for similar wording in their own clinical communication.
Key findings
01Dental professionals sometimes described care for children with autism in language that carried negative assumptions about them or their families.
02Some participants used exclusionary wording that separated children with autism from typical patients, such as referring to them as a different group or setting aside special-needs days.
03Providers voiced preconceptions that parents of children with autism were less responsible for preventive dental care and used a stereotype about Hispanic families.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The findings came from a secondary analysis of focus-group talk, not from direct observation of clinical encounters. The providers were all dentists, so the language may not reflect therapists, nurses, or other clinicians. Only seven dental professionals participated, and the comments were not consensus views of the group. The language examples were not asked about directly, so it is unclear whether they were offhand remarks or deeply held beliefs. The study did not measure patient or family outcomes, so it cannot show how this language affected care.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these providers commonly discriminate or that changing language improves care. The study analysed remarks from seven dentists in focus groups, not observed clinical encounters or patient outcomes.