Autism in Southeast Europe: A Survey of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Researchers asked 400 parents of kids with autism in four Southeast-European countries to fill out a survey. They wanted to know when the child got the diagnosis, what services the family used, and what problems they faced.

The survey was done in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. Most kids were boys and the average age was seven.

Kids were told they had autism at about three and a half years old. Speech therapy was the most common service. No matter which country, parents said the same things: long waits, high costs, and people staring or judging.

One in three parents felt blamed for their child’s behavior. Two in three said they had no respite care.

Cao et al. (2023) ran a big survey in China and also saw that low parent education slowed diagnosis. Both papers show money and schooling shape who gets help.

García-Zambrano et al. (2026) used health records in Colombia and found richer regions had more autism cases. That matches the Europe survey: wealthier areas give families better access.

Manohar et al. (2019) tried a fix in India: five short parent-coaching sessions at home. Families liked it and stress dropped. The Europe paper only describes barriers; the India paper shows a cheap way to beat them.

If you work with immigrant families from Eastern Europe, expect they may have waited years for a label and still face stigma. Use short, low-cost parent training like the India model. Offer handouts in their language and link them to local parent groups so they feel less alone.