Navigating family messaging: Qualitative experiences of Black caregivers of children with autism.
Dalia Marquez, Kattia Mata, Felicia Williams Brown and 3 others
PMID 40792547WHAT IT FOUND
Black caregivers of autistic children described family messages ranging from denial and blame to supportive acceptance.
Denial often manifested as treating the child as neurotypical, which caregivers noted could inadvertently minimize their need for specific accommodations and support.
Key findings
01Caregivers reported family members denying the autism diagnosis or claiming there was 'nothing wrong' with the child, sometimes attributing behaviors to poor parenting.
02A common form of acceptance involved treating the child exactly as a neurotypical child, which the authors suggest may function as denial by minimizing the need for autism-specific accommodations.
03Family members often lacked the motivation to understand autism, leading caregivers to feel frustrated and exhausted from repeatedly explaining their child's needs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The results are not generalizable to all Black families or other racial groups. The study did not capture the cultural nuance within the Black community, such as differences between recent immigrants and multigenerational American families. There was very low representation of Black male caregivers (only two participants). The interviewer was White, which may have impacted the candor of the participants despite the use of a positionality statement. The study did not collect data on the racial identity of the autistic children, limiting insights into multi-racial family dynamics.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the theme of 'Supportive Acceptance' as evidence that family members are providing appropriate autism-specific support. The study found that this acceptance often involved treating the child as neurotypical, which the authors identify as a form of denial that may minimize the child's need for necessary accommodations.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →