“We’ve got to fight; that’s the story of our lives”: advocacy experience of immigrant families of children with autism spectrum disorder

ABSTRACT

Advocating for a child’s rights and needs is an experience shared by most families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This qualitative study is an in-depth secondary content analysis of the discourse of 13 immigrant families on their advocacy experience during the early childhood period. Results revealed that, from very early on, parents engage in an adaptive process as advocates to ensure an inclusive future for their children and call on support during key transition periods. In light of these findings, from immigrant families in a Canadian province, implications for practice, policy and research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent advocacy
• autism
• immigration
• trajectory through services
• early childhood

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Coralie St-André and Charlotte Magnan for their assistance. Cofunded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec- Société et Culture (FRQSC), the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé, la Fondation Sandra et Alain Bouchard, and the Consortium National de Recherche sur l’Intégration Sociale (CNRIS).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the funding Fondation Sandra et Alain Bouchard;Consortium National de Recherche sur l’Intégration Sociale (CNRIS);Fonds de Recherche du Québec- Société et Culture.