Do Autistic children and their families who are minority-language speakers experience barriers in accessing healthcare services? Is there a difference in the quality of the healthcare services they receive?
To help answer these questions, Autism Alliance of Canada has partnered with researchers from McGill University, Hearst University, and Dalhousie University, caregivers, Autistic adults, clinicians, and community groups to lead a new research project examining barriers to healthcare for minority-language children on the autism spectrum and their families. Minority-language speakers face healthcare disparities. These disparities occur in accessing and receiving healthcare services compared to those who speak a majority language in their area. However, we know little about the barriers faced by minority-language speakers on the autism spectrum.
The aim of this project is to capture the lived experiences of people on the spectrum and their families through focus groups. Partners include Autism Alliance of Canada, researchers from McGill University, Université de Hearst, and Dalhousie University, caregivers, Autistic adults, clinicians, and community groups. All are minority-language speakers or work with Autistic persons who are minority-language speakers.
A team co-led by Postdoctoral Fellow and Speech-Language Pathologist Dr. Myriam L. H. Beauchamp and neuropsychologist Dr. Julie Scorah at McGill University, and in partnership with Dr. Jonathan Lai, Executive Director of Autism Alliance of Canada, will address two main questions:
- Do Autistic children and their families who are minority-language speakers experience barriers in accessing healthcare services?
- Is there a difference in the quality of the healthcare services they receive?
The aim of this project is to capture the lived experiences of people on the spectrum and their families through focus groups. These will include caregivers and autistic adults who are all minority-language speakers. Other stakeholders including clinicians, administrators, and community groups who work closely with people on the spectrum who are minority-language speakers will also take part. The project’s findings will inform decision-makers about the barriers to accessing healthcare and help increase equity in the healthcare system between majority and minority-language speakers across Canada.
Interested in participating?
Who can participate?
- Adults on the autism spectrum from a minority-language speaking family.
- Caregivers of a child on the autism spectrum and a minority-language speaker.
- Healthcare administrators with knowledge of the supports offered to children on the autism spectrum.
- Community organizations working with children on the autism spectrum who are minority-language speakers.
- Clinicians working with children on the autism spectrum who are minority-language speakers.
What to expect?
- Participants will take part in one focus group session via Zoom or in-person. Focus groups will be composed of participants with similar experiences.
- Each session is estimated to last between X-Y hours.
- Members of the research team , will be leading each session
- Sessions will be conducted in English or French.
- Participation in focus groups will be kept anonymous.
How to participate?
To sign up to participate in a focus group, please contact us at: language.research@autismalliance.ca.
If you would like to view the flyer for this research project, please click on the button below.
Our findings will potentially lead to concrete improvements in the ability of people on the spectrum who are minority-language speakers to access and receive healthcare services that are equitable.
A note on language
For the purposes of this project, minority-language speakers are defined as someone who speaks a language other than the majority language in that area. As a cross-Canada initiative, what constitutes a minority-language speaker will differ based on the individual’s location.