In Search of Culturally Appropriate Autism Interventions: Perspectives of Latino Caregivers.
Michaela DuBay, Linda R Watson, Wanqing Zhang
PMID 29188586WHAT IT FOUND
Latino Spanish-speaking caregivers wanted therapists to teach them directly, use Spanish, and offer practical strategies like prompting and modeling.
Surveys showed few group differences, but focus groups revealed stigma, mixed messages and unmet home-support needs.
Key findings
01Latino Spanish-speaking caregivers wanted more direct involvement in their child's therapy, especially learning how to work with their child at home, and language barriers often blocked communication with providers.
02When shown four parent-mediated strategies, caregivers liked prompting, modeling and reinforcement, but found strategies such as wait time and sabotage hard to use because they did not want to frustrate their child.
03Survey comparisons found few differences between non-Latino White and Latino Spanish-speaking parents; on one family-outcome subscale, non-Latino White parents rated early intervention less helpful in teaching them how to help their child develop and learn.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small: 55 survey participants and 20 focus-group caregivers, all from a single southeastern US state. Many Latino Spanish-speaking participants were recruited through support groups or advocacy networks, which may have made the theme about seeking social support outside the family stronger. The Latino sample was mostly from Mexico and all were first-generation immigrants, so views may not match Latino families from other countries or regions. Only one male caregiver took part in focus groups, so fathers' perspectives were not well represented. No non-Latino White families took part in focus groups, so the qualitative findings are about Latino Spanish-speaking caregivers only. The authors were not of Latin American descent or native Spanish speakers, although community members helped with recruitment, translation, and analysis. Survey instruments were translated but not re-tested for reliability and validity with a large Latino Spanish-speaking sample, especially the family-centered care measure. Survey satisfaction scores may not show unmet needs because cultural response patterns can make Latino Spanish-speaking parents report higher satisfaction than they express in focus groups.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report external funding. Participants were entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card, and focus-group participants received $20 for their time.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that prompting, modeling, or parent-mediated coaching improves child outcomes. The study reports caregiver perceptions and survey comparisons, not child outcomes.