Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) utilize a greater number of health care services compared to children with other developmental disabilities. Despite this, children with ASD remain at high risk for unmet service needs, which are compounded by differences in SES. Additionally, these families experience low levels of service satisfaction and poor relationships with their service providers, prompting them to engage in advocacy on behalf of their child. This study aimed to understand the contributions of advocacy, empowerment, and parent-professional partnerships to service disparities in families of children with ASD using parental education as a proxy for SES. First, a quantitative measure of advocacy specific to this population was validated. Second, the relationship between education and service outcomes in families and children with ASD was confirmed. Third, possible mediators of service disparities were examined. Finally, predictors of parent advocacy were explored. The results of the current study strengthen claims in the literature that families of children with ASD experience high levels of unmet needs which are exacerbated by low levels of education, and that parent-professional partnership plays a role in explaining these service disparities. As such, increasing parent-professional partnerships through family-centered care and professional training may help to reduce service disparities and improve satisfaction with care for families and children with ASD. Additionally, advocacy and empowerment should be researched further, as they appear to have important roles in helping families of children with ASD access services.
Read
