When it comes to developmental delays, the earlier they are detected and treated, the better the outcome will be. This is why it’s so distressing to hear that autism is not being detected early in minority children as it is in white children. And even when diagnosed early, the delays found in minority children are more severe.
What could be the reasons? Socioeconomic differences may not be the culprit, according to a small study conducted at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute in which all of the families were middle-class. It is more likely that cultural differences are to blame.
Many Latino parents wait and see, especially when their child isn’t speaking yet. Others may have had their concerns dismissed by their doctor, and never questioned their authority.
Read more at Fox News Latino.
About Cindy Tovar
Conspiracy!
My son was diagnosed early. But some latino parents dont want to believe it.
wow this is extremely true… When I lived in Puerto Rico they told me my son either had a speech problem or i was confusing the languages by speaking both spanish and english to him and this explained him being non verbal… He was then 2… we move to California when he turned 3 and at 3 1/2 we were told that he had and I quote “text-book autism”.
Shouldn’t the parents be the ones to notice this first? with so much information about the first symptoms of Autism I would think parents will notice them or become alert to the posibility. I wonder if Autism Speaks is just waisting money with their campaigns regarding awareness.
here is the link in spanish , God bless America:
It comes down to whether you have (good) insurance or not.
It comes down to denial and not being educated on the topic.
Public schools frequently classify children , specially male students, as having some sort of Autims , ADHD , Oppositional Disorder, etc . The reality is boys are under attack , they are seeing as disruptive if they behave like normal boys behave. I speak from experience, my youngest son was diagnostic with ADD and was recomended he attend a special school . He is a bright boy getting ready to attend College. Please wake up latino comunity stop following the wrong leadership , the so call professionals are nothing but charlatans, they are the ones discriminating against our children.
I was told my son may be autistic when he was 2 but I was in such denial that I refused to believe what the doctors told me and until recently my son is 6 now but until recently I’ve realized my son is autistic. My son has been receiving therapy and all the hell he can get since he was 2 it just took me yrs to actually realize I do have an autistic son. It’s hard emotionally on the parent
either that or in denial. I saw the signs and looked it up on line and out of 20 my son has 14 of the autism symptons. it was hard, I cried but con dios pa’ lante hes an amazing child bright, funny, caring, always smiling, loved to be on the computer playing his nick.jr games.So I spoke to his doctor who gave me a #.for him to be evaluated, called the # went to a great place to evaluate him and a couple of weeks later gave given.his results which like I knew hes autistic but he goes to school full time for the past 3 months and its doing fantastic. I am a proud parent of an amazinng, most awesome child ever who has autism but that doesnt change anything I still LOVE HIM!!!!
It’s denial, distrust and miseducation. I was a daycare provider for 15 years and cared for hundreds of children. Regardless of whether one of my own children has CP, MR and developmental delays adn the faact that I had buko experience caring for children – parensts DID NOT want to hear that there was something ‘WRONG’ with their child.
Even when we suggested that they get a (FREE) evaluation just to be on the safe side, they didn’t want to hear it. They had a bookful of excuses for their children’s behaviors, delays, troubles. This attitude crossed ethnic, ‘racial’, and gender lines. IMHO, EVERY child can benefit from early intervention – why not? It’s one on one assistance, and you’re not obligated to any course of therapy or care. There is no label placed on pre-school children and you can cross that bridge when you come to it. ADHD is another story altogether – while I think that parent should be willing to do whatever it takes to bring their child up to speed re: developmental guideposts, stay away from Dx and RX for ADHD until you eliminate ALL other factors – diet, allergies, sensitivities etc.
Spectacular article and excellent topic. I’ve been a mental health provider for almost 8 years, primarily working with adolescents and adults. And yes, the mere shock among parents that comes when a child presents symptoms is understandable, although it can prevent individuals from acting quickly. Autism Spectrum Disorder is not even close to a death sentence, but it requires careful attention and specialized training. I emphasize the word SPECIALIZED, because not all health professionals and/or school administrators are equipped with the necessary tools to appropriately diagnose and treat autism spectrum (as well as administer parent training). Seek out qualified, competent, and appropriately trained mental health practitioners and doctors, and for the love of god, please stay away from non-clinical charlatans and celebrities who do not understand a thing about this cognitive issue.
In my experience I also found that pediatricians hesitated giving parents ‘bad’ news. Some parents told us, ‘I mentioned it to the pediatrician and he (mostly) said it’s nothing to worry about yet.’ Parents, you don’t need your pediatrician’s permission to advocate for your kids and Early Intervention is free to kids under 3. You have nothing to lose; you are your child’s best and strongest advocate.
That relates to my point about specialized training. A lot of pediatricians (and general medical practitioners, for that matter) do not have SPECIFIC training in mental health, and hence, do not have all of the required areas of specialty for appropriate diagnosis and treatment recommendations. If finances/insurance allow, I encourage parents to seek out appropriately trained mental health practitioners and doctors. And as Laura so importantly stated, you must be your child’s largest advocate, while avoiding lapsing into the type of denial that doesn’t do him/her any good.
My son was diagnosed at age 2 but had received early intervention since he was 8/9 months due to being so premature…I thank God for my brother’s ex-girlfriend…she, at the time, was an early intervention coordinator…as soon as my son was born, she burned it in my brain…MAKE SURE HE RECEIVES EARLY INTERVENTION…unfortunately, the social worker at the hospital thought because I had a Spanish surname, I didn’t know a damn thing…they catered to the Caucasian families in the NICU and ignored the Hispanic & African American families that were also there and wanted to register for services. The key is educating ourselves…I am blessed to have friends and also family in the education field who informed me from jump BUT unfortunately not everyone has that support and we need to take responsibility and help those families experiencing this crazy, emotional ride.
As the parent of a girl who was classified in all categories of autism/PDD-NOS/Ausperger, I say go to an expert in this field, have the child evaluated as we did here in NC, and work with the school so get her the required help. Early intervention is key, and accepting the professional results is necessary in order to take the next step. Also, please have the child evaluated for dislexia. I know it’s time consuming, and you may not want to believe your child has such conditions, but you must deal with this very serious condition. I’m talking from experience!