Have Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Quality of Health Care Relationships Changed for Children With Developmental Disabilities and ASD?
Racial gaps in how doctors treat autism families did not shrink from 2006 to 2010.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at parent surveys from 2006 and 2010.
They asked 1,500 moms and dads of kids with autism or other delays how doctors and nurses treated them.
Parents rated things like respect, listening, and clear answers.
What they found
Black and Latino parents gave lower scores than White parents in both years.
The gap stayed the same size from 2006 to 2010.
Nothing got better for families of color.
How this fits with other research
Barton et al. (2019) found Black kids start autism treatment years later than White kids.
Brynskov et al. (2017) showed Venezuelan Latino kids wait three extra years for diagnosis.
These studies line up: poor provider relationships may be one reason for later care.
Fombonne et al. (2022) looked at Black and White kids at the exact same referral visit.
They found no real difference in autism symptoms.
This means the problem is not the kids—it's the system.
Why it matters
Your Black and Latino clients likely face the same poor treatment today.
Check your own tone, wait times, and explanations.
Ask families: 'Do you feel heard?' Fix small slights before they grow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of this study was to determine if racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of provider interaction have changed between 2006 and 2010 for children with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data from the 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs were analyzed. Results show that racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of provider interactions were substantial in both 2005/2006 and 2009/2010. Black and Latino parents were significantly less likely than White parents to report that their provider spent enough time with their child and was sensitive to the family's values. Racial and ethnic disparities in health care quality were found to be unchanged over time. Research and policy implications are discussed.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-120.6.504