Early Childhood Services for Transfronterizx Families of Autistic Children: Perspectives From Community Providers

Abstract

In this qualitative study, we investigated the perspectives of early childhood service (ECS) providers on the facilitators and barriers faced by transfronterizx caregivers of autistic children in the U.S.-Mexico border. We applied thematic analysis to focus groups using the sociocultural framework for health service disparities (SCF-HSD) across levels (micro, meso, macro). Our findings highlight the challenges transfronterizx families face accessing ECS. At the micro level (i.e., child-family, and provider), we identified challenges related to language and cultural (mis)alignment and resulting efforts to adapt interventions. At the meso level (i.e., community systems) we found societally-informed family dynamics, societally-informed provider-family dynamics, autism stigma and misinformation, and border logistical barriers; at the macro level (i.e., federal policy) economic inequities in border systems, and cross-border systems challenges that impacted ECS access. Implications of this study include support for enhancing ECS access and quality for bilingual children with autism from transfronterizx communities across systems.