Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington DC, USA.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2019 Jan;39:53-57. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2018.11.017. Epub 2018 Dec 8.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social, communication, and behavioral deficits. Fortunately, early intervention has proved to be of significant benefit in the lives of children with ASD. However, timely access to health services and support requires equitable access, which is often a challenge for immigrant families. Barriers to equal access and support for immigrant families of children with ASD include cultural beliefs about child development and ASD, delayed diagnosis, access to services, and negative perceptions of services. There is a shortage of studies that explore how to increase understanding and collaboration among the immigrant population and health care practitioners to address these barriers. The barriers can indeed be appropriately addressed with structured programs and cultural models. The objectives of this article are to shed light on how barriers impact outcomes of immigrant children with ASD and to describe a culturally sensitive program model to address the barriers and provide awareness, education, and interventions for these immigrant families. The South Asian Autism Awareness Center in Toronto, Canada is presented as an example of such a model.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种普遍的神经发育障碍，其特征是社交、沟通和行为缺陷。幸运的是，早期干预已被证明对 ASD 儿童的生活有重大益处。然而，获得医疗服务和支持需要公平的机会，而这对移民家庭来说往往是一个挑战。影响 ASD 儿童移民家庭获得平等机会和支持的障碍包括对儿童发展和 ASD 的文化观念、诊断延迟、服务获取以及对服务的负面看法。很少有研究探讨如何增加移民人群和医疗保健从业者之间的理解和合作，以解决这些障碍。这些障碍可以通过有组织的计划和文化模式来适当解决。本文的目的是阐明这些障碍如何影响 ASD 移民儿童的结果，并描述一个敏感文化的方案模式，以解决这些障碍，并为这些移民家庭提供意识、教育和干预。加拿大多伦多的南亚自闭症意识中心被作为这样一个模式的例子。
