Anglo-Latino differences in parental concerns and service inequities for children at risk of autism spectrum disorder.
Latino kids with ASD get fewer services than Anglo kids even when symptoms are the same—language and parent knowledge drive the gap.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Blacher et al. (2019) compared Latino and Anglo families who had toddlers flagged for autism.
They asked parents to list worries about their child and counted the services each child got.
All kids had similar autism signs, so any service gap would point to access problems, not need.
What they found
Latino children received fewer therapy hours even though their symptoms matched Anglo peers.
Spanish-speaking Latina moms named fewer concerns about preschool-aged kids than English-speaking moms.
Less parent concern predicted less service use, showing language can hide need.
How this fits with other research
Parish et al. (2012) first showed that poor provider visits drive low use for Latino kids. Jan adds that parent concern, shaped by language, is another link in the same chain.
Luelmo et al. (2021) gave Latina moms a three-class advocacy course. Knowledge rose, yet moms still felt low power, echoing Jan’s finding that concern stays muted without deeper support.
Magaña et al. (2017) showed the DSM-5 ADI-R catches more Latino cases when parents speak Spanish. Accurate labels can raise concern; Jan shows what happens when that step is missed.
Why it matters
You can close the gap by checking concern in the parent’s best language and giving clear examples of red flags. Offer a short advocacy class plus follow-up coaching so knowledge turns to action. Track whether your Latino clients get the same hours as similar Anglo kids; if not, schedule extra parent meetings before the next authorization.
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Ask your Spanish-speaking families to name concerns in Spanish, write them in the report, and compare authorized hours to a matched Anglo case—flag any difference to the funding team.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
In an evaluation of Anglo and Latina mothers and their children at risk of autism, this study compared mother-reported child behavioral concerns to staff-observed symptoms of autism. Within Latina mothers, the impact of primary language (English/Spanish), mothers' education, and child age on ratings of developmental concerns was examined. Participants were 218 mothers (Anglo = 85; Latina = 133) of children referred to a no-cost autism screening clinic. Mothers reported on behavioral concerns, autism symptomology, and services received; children were administered the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule by certified staff. Results revealed that Anglo and Latino children did not differ by autism symptoms or classification. However, Anglo mothers reported significantly more concerns than Latina mothers. Within the Latina group, analyses revealed significant interaction effects of language and child age; Spanish-speaking mothers of preschoolers endorsed fewer concerns, while Spanish-speaking mothers of school-aged children endorsed more concerns. Despite these reports, Anglo children with a classification of autism spectrum disorder were receiving significantly more services than Latino children with autism spectrum disorder, suggesting early beginnings of a service divide as well as the need for improved parent education on child development and advocacy for Latino families.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318818327