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. 2015 Oct;45(10):3244-54.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-015-2482-x.

African American families on autism diagnosis and treatment: the influence of culture

Karen Burkett  1 , Edith Morris  2   3 , Patricia Manning-Courtney  4 , Jean Anthony  2 , Donna Shambley-Ebron  2
Affiliations

African American families on autism diagnosis and treatment: the influence of culture

Karen Burkett et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Cultural factors such as health care access and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom interpretations have been proposed as impacting delayed diagnosis and treatment for African American children with ASD. A qualitative study of urban African American families caring for their child with autism was conducted with 24 family members and 28 ASD professionals. Cultural caring meant families protected their child from harm including potential or actual distrustful encounters, and took action for their child and community to optimize their child's health and address the knowledge deficits of ASD within their community. Families and professionals believed cultural influences delayed families' receiving and seeking appropriate health care for the African American child with ASD affecting timely autism diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: ASD diagnosis; African American families; Autism spectrum disorder; Cultural factors; Health care disparities.

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