Sacrifice, uncertainty, and resilience: Qualitative study of U.S./Mexico border mothers of autistic children.
Fernanda A Castellón, Ana Dueñas, Paul Luelmo
PMID 40178002WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers described constant comparison with U.S. services.
Long, costly diagnosis, family disagreement, and citizenship status pushed some to risk crossing. They sought help for language and behavior.
Key findings
01Mothers described a constant contrast between autism services in Mexico and the United States, and dissatisfaction with Mexican services made the United States seem like a possible solution.
02Participants described autism diagnosis in Mexico as lengthy and costly, with multiple out-of-pocket provider visits, followed by services targeting challenging behavior and language development.
03Citizenship status shaped access. U.S. citizenship helped mothers cross and explore services, while visa or mixed status created hesitation and, in an account, a dangerous border-crossing attempt.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only biological mothers were included, so fathers and other caregivers were not represented. Only 11 mothers completed interviews, and only 1 was actively crossing the border, so daily cross-border experiences are thin. No autistic individuals were interviewed, so their own service barriers and priorities were not captured. Most mothers were from urban Tijuana, so rural border experiences were not represented. The study is qualitative, so it produces themes and narratives, not effects of any therapy or service pathway. Only 3 narratives were selected for dialogical narrative analysis based on citizenship patterns, so it may not capture all stages of service pursuit.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Two authors' writing time was supported by an Institute of Education Sciences grant, and the article lists funding from the National Center for Special Education Research and the International Society for Autism Research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that any autism therapy or border-crossing pathway improves child outcomes. It is a qualitative study of 11 mothers' experiences, and most participants were not actively crossing, so it describes service-seeking pressures, not treatment effects.