Parent reported barriers and facilitators to support services for autistic children in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The survey was only available in English, so results may not represent families who primarily speak other languages. Participants without reliable internet access had less opportunity to participate, as all responses were received online. The number of participants from Pacific peoples and other cultural groups was much lower than New Zealand population estimates. It was not possible to explore connections between barriers/facilitators and specific services because few participants provided this information. Data were based on self-report, so recall bias is possible.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Preparation of the article was supported in part by a Victoria University of Wellington PhD scholarship and the Te Herenga Waka Māori Doctoral Scholarship.

Do not assume that the high number of facilitators reported by parents of non-speaking children means those services are more effective or helpful. The study found that while these parents identified more facilitators, there was no significant difference in how helpful those facilitators were rated compared to other groups.