Autism Screening Barriers Adversely Impact Latinos Lisa De Bode - Al Jazeera
go to original September 9, 2013

Watch what it can be like to live with autism. The difference between watching this and what it can be like living with autism? You can turn this video off. (Miguel Jiron)

When Alex Larios suddenly stopped talking, his mother, Susie Larios, a 33-year-old Mexican immigrant who moved to California as a child, knew something was wrong. Her 1-year-old son had difficulties with language before, but this time was different, she said. After extensive online research of his symptoms turned up the word autism several times, she knew she had found the answer to his odd behavior.

Alex is among the 1 percent of American children who are diagnosed with autism. He is also part of a community that experiences high barriers to diagnosis. Only 10 percent of pediatricians screen for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders in Spanish, the primary language of 23 million Americans, a new study found, with three-quarters of surveyed pediatricians citing access, communication or cultural barriers as obstacles to a timely diagnosis.

Because of these barriers, Latino children may be diagnosed with ASD around 2.5 years later than white children, a timeframe during which lifelong developmental setbacks are incurred, the study published in the journal Pediatrics revealed.

Early diagnosis is "crucial" to "teach children to be more functional with autism," Katherine Zuckerman, assistant professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University and lead author of the study, told Al Jazeera.

Read the rest at Al Jazeera

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