This study examined cultural beliefs about ASD and its causes among Mexican-heritage families. In focus group interviews, we asked 25 immigrant parents of children with ASD to identify words they associated with ASD and its causes. Participants free-listed, ranked, and justified their responses. Mixed methods analyses utilized saliency scores to calculate responses. Deductive interview analyses justified participants' responses. Salient responses for ASD perceptions included specific characteristics about the child (e.g., loving) and perceptions about lack of resources. Salient responses for ASD causes were vaccines, genetics, and a combination of genetics and environment. Inductive analyses revealed distinct beliefs about social stigma, child characteristics, factors supporting development, and parents' emotional stress. Interpretations linked these beliefs to promising adaptations in diagnosis and treatment.

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Background Prior research has described the prevalence and utility of questions in children's language learning environment. However, there has been little empirical investigation of the interaction sequences that ensue following caregiver questions. Understanding these interactions may be especially important for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who may have difficulty engaging in reciprocal interactions. Question–response–evaluation sequences (QRE) are a particular type of interaction sequence launched by questions that have been examined primarily in classroom contexts. Less research has been devoted to understanding how caregivers and children with ASD leverage this interactional format in the context of home interactions. Aims We focus on QRE sequences within interactions between a 5‐year‐old bilingual child with ASD and his parents. In these sequences, the adult poses known‐answer questions, the child responds and the adult evaluates the response. QRE sequences are primarily structured by the questioner (i.e., the parents in our context), and we examine the interactive work done by parents to initiate, maintain and close these sequences. We also examine the child's contributions to these sequences. Methods & Procedures We applied conversation analysis (CA) to video recordings of home routines, such as play, book‐reading and schoolwork. Videos were fully transcribed using CA conventions, and 55 QRE segments were isolated from the data corpus for further analysis. Outcomes & Results Q‐word questions (i.e., where, what, why, when, how questions) were the most prevalent question format, and repetition of the child's response was the most prevalent form of evaluation. We found that QRE sequences were embedded within a variety of action trajectories that extend beyond pedagogical functions. These included repairing a prior utterance, extending collaborative play routines and engaging in topically connected labelling rituals. Conclusions & Implications QRE sequences appeared to strike a balance in terms of the level of constraint they placed on the child's contributions to interactions, and the affordances they provide for participating in and progressing through interactions. This study can help clinicians understand the types of interactions that can be pursued with QRE sequences in their work with children with ASD. The findings may also aid intervention researchers’ efforts to leverage caregivers’ existing strengths for adapting their interactional overtures to maximize children's engagement. Finally, this study provides an illustration of caregiver–child interactions in a population that is currently under‐represented in the literature.

To understand how parents adapted to virtual learning expectations during the initial COVID-19 school closures in spring 2020, this study investigated families’ daily activities, including parents’ emotions and their appraisals of the value of daily activities across two timepoints. Thirty-two parent–child dyads (Mean child age = 78 months, 50% male; 47% Latinx/Hispanic; 28% Spanish speaking) from a Southern California school district serving a diverse population completed a daily diary texting protocol (experience sampling method; ESM) five times per day over five days. Families spent most of their time together engaging in mealtime activities (preparing meals and eating). Families from low socioeconomic backgrounds reported appraising academic activities, social skills, and life skills more highly than families from high socioeconomic backgrounds. Parents reported more positive emotions than negative emotions. Findings provide opportunities for educators to mitigate learning loss by building on children’s learning experiences and family adaptations to daily routines during COVID-19.

To understand the ASD diagnosis and treatment pathways for US families, N = 38 Mexican-heritage mothers were interviewed about how and when they obtained an ASD diagnosis for their children. Most children (84%) were diagnosed between two and three years old. One-third of mothers reported receiving four to seven referrals before diagnosis. Mothers identified multiple diagnosis circumstances including two diagnoses and services offered before diagnosis. A multiple case study design documented the diagnosis and treatment experiences of four representative participants. As compared to previous studies that utilized a deficit lens to rationalize barriers to diagnosis and treatment (e.g., parents not knowledgeable about ASD), these findings revealed a complex understanding of how structural barriers (e.g., immigration status), initial diagnosis rejection among caregivers, and abrupt service cancellation complicated the diagnosis and treatment process. Implications identified suggestions to optimize and streamline ASD diagnosis and treatment pathways for Mexican heritage families.

This study examined the daily routines and activities of Mexican-heritage mothers and their children with autism spectrum disorder. Experienced sampling methods were used to capture families’ current daily routines and activities, how parents valued those activities, and whether the activity was part of the child’s autism spectrum disorder intervention. A total of 32 mothers were texted five times per day over five consecutive days for a total of 721 observations. Mothers frequently engaged in Self-Care (e.g. showering), General Caregiving (e.g. cooking), and House Chores (e.g. laundry). Children engaged in activities in which interventions could easily be integrated (e.g. Academics, Self-Care, and Playing with Others). Families spent less than one-third (26.1%) of their activities participating in interventions. Mothers and children jointly spent time in General Caregiving, Playing with Others, and Using Electronics. Practitioners should focus on integrating evidence-based interventions into daily joint routine activities.

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